THE JOYS OF SEX
nytheatre.com review by David Fuller
August 15, 2002
The Joys of Sex, subtitled "A Naughty New Musical Revue," is
currently playing at the 14th Street Y. If you keep in mind that it is a
revue, and not a full musical comedy, you may have a good time. After
all, in a musical comedy one hopes to find a point, an
overarching theme, a reason for the production. But revues can simply be
joyous. There is a lot of joy on the stage in this revue, though
certainly the characters also go through their individual and collective
share of angst, as they explore aspects of heterosexual (and one
fleeting homosexual) couplings, uncouplings and relationships between
(and among?) the sexes. If there is a point to it all, it seems that
Melissa Levis, who wrote the book and lyrics, and David Weinstein, who
wrote the music (and shares book writing credit with Levis), want to
tell us that it is difficult to find the "joy" in the sex act, beyond
immediate pleasure, unless you’re "making love." Not really very heady
material.The choreography by Tesha Buss and the direction by Jeremy Dobrish add to the "joy" of the production. There is some very clever use of a particularly extensive collection of dildos, for example. The live band, under the direction of Weinstein at the keyboards and dubbed "Mike Axelrod and the Throbbing Threesome," provides fitting rock and roll accompaniment to the cast. And this cast is very good in a terrific ensemble effort. Christina L. Fadale, David Josefsberg, Stephanie Kurtzuba and Brandon Williams are equally engaging, sexy, and appealing, singing and dancing with, yes, "joy" and also providing poignant moments when called upon by the score.
The acting and singing (and by extension the choreography and direction) carry this production. The writing does not. The book is predictable and the lyrics are obvious. The music is simple. However, seen in the light of a "revue" the writing serves its purpose: you are entertained. Just don’t go with high expectations.
