SLUT
nytheatre.com review by Sharon Fogarty
August 15, 2003
One of the funniest musicals I’ve seen in ages, Slut is a
pleasurable, necessary farce that circumnavigates the New York dating
scene. Authors Stephen Sislen and Ben Winters test the waters and steer
very close to offensive material without ever quite taking the plunge.
For example, the misleading title Slut does not refer to a woman,
but rather, to a typical, likable New York guy named Adam Patterson.Nine actor/singers, all comedic time bombs whose voices slide easily from blues-rock to musical camp, play 34 characters. Stephen Bienskie plays the main slut charmingly with Man Show humor, but is touching when his character learns responsibility. Talented Josh Tyson plays the nerd so meticulously that when he switches to a sexy catch he’s almost unrecognizable. Nicole Ruth Snelson is lovely as the emotional gonna-be rock star with pipes to match. Victor Hawks stops the show with his character J-Dogg, gaining sympathy due to a sexually transmitted sub-plot.
Comfortably gliding from character to character like a hologram is Michael Thomas Holmes; ditto Catherine Carpenter, whose mellow vibrato rings sensually over several demanding vocal parts. Natalie Joy Johnson is bawdy, beautiful and hilarious in her "True Love" duet with keeper Jeff Hiller, whose gold witticisms are revolutionary. Finally, Mary Faber, whose characters are the most clearly discernable, appears to be one of those actresses who can play or sing anything, including (memorably) the obtuse Veronica, whom Faber plays with bold abandon to intellect.
The show sails under Sarah Gurfield’s smart direction, with only minor criticism to the occasional focus of the actors—at each other, instead of out towards us—making it hard to hear above the fan-blowers in the Wings Theatre. But I was thrilled to see this production in its Fringe state with its side-splitting choreography, its simple, tasteful set, and very present and focused accompanying musicians.
The plot choice is currently a bit unbelievable when the lead woman falls for one guy over the other, and the show needs a stronger ending with a commitment by all to a finale. But that will come, as will decades of laughter from this very New York musical success.
