BROADWAY BARES FIRE ISLAND
Audiences Swipe Right for App-Inspired Stripteases
B
roadway Bares opened the summer season on Fire Island with another seductive edition of Broadway Bares Fire Island. The sexy men and women of Broadway Bares returned June 4 to Fire Island Pines, NY, for two sold-out performances, raising $51,733.
Other audience favorites featured Matthew Steffens as a business man in need of a car wash in “De-tail,” Judah Frank as a shorn sheep with a naughty side in “Plow’d” and Ringler as a Marie Antoinette-inspired drag queen letting her hungry subjects “eat cake” in “We-Kiki-Pedia.”
Created exclusively for Fire Island, this intimate version of the annual New York City extravaganza took audiences on a sensual romp inspired by mobile apps. From lusty lumberjacks to frisky fitness instructors, Broadway Bares Fire Island brought these highly intimate electronic encounters to life onstage.
Broadway Bares Fire Island featured some of Broadway’s best dancers in stunning displays of physical artistry. Kristine Bendul and Waldemar Quiñones-Villanueva performed a stirring pas de deux. “Yearn” featured dancer Matthew Griffin illuminated solely by LED-lighted gloves worn by Abreu, Barrett Davis, Henry, Andrew Slane, Quiñones-Villanueva and J. Morgan White.
"We live in an age where our best friends are our smartphones and every problem has us saying 'there’s an app for that,'" Director Michael Lee Scott said. "Whether it’s a dating app, a streaming app or even just a weather app, all of us can relate to being glued to our smartphones. For one night, though, our audience’s eyes were glued to our performers as they revealed the sultry side of the techno era." The show began with Broadway’s Marya Grandy backed by a quartet of tap-dancing boys - Josh Bates, Justin Henry, Alex Ringler and Sidney Erik Wright - and a cameo appearance by a hoofing Donald Trump impersonator, played by Brad Bradley. Grandy and company sang “Tap That,” an original song about the ease of finding your fantasies on your mobile phone. The show took the audience through imaginary mobile apps, inspired by real-life dating, fitness and lifestyle programs. “PumpIt” featured Adam Pellegrine as a fitness instructor with Heather Lea Bair, Lauren Gemelli and Rebecca Magazine as ladies ready to sweat. “Lumberjack’d” chronicled a flannel-clad Tom Feeney on his journey from bumbling buffoon to sexy woodsman, with help from Cesar Abreu, David Baur and John Paul LaPorte.
22
Behind the Scenes
Broadway Bares Fire Island also included performances by Andrés Acosta, Dave August, Anthony Crouchelli and Benjamin L. Horen. As director, Scott was assisted by Tammy Colucci, Bendul, Davis and Wright. Philip B. Richard II served as production stage manager. The presenting sponsor of Broadway Bares is M•A•C VIVA Glam, with generous support from BC/EFA corporate partner United Airlines. Broadway Bares Fire Island is presented in association with Fire Island Pines Art Project. n