It would be disingenous for me to say that when OfficialTheater.com offered me a ticket to a bloggers’ night at La Soiree (courtesy of Seatplan) that I said yes from a situation of bright-eyed, bushy-tailed ignorance, or that, say, I went only because I was desperate to do a little networking with my peers. But no: I said yes in a state of bright-eyed and bushy-tailed wisdom, for lo, I have been to La Soiree and La Clique before, not just once, but many times, and I had both a good idea of what to expect and a high degree of confidence that I was going to have a good night.
But you, dear reader, you may not know what to expect. So step right up, and see the sexy amazeness that is the lightly dressed and slightly naughty (or even positively rude) entertainment that constitutes a night at La Soiree, where the MCs are gender indeterminate (or actually just shiny blue bunnies), the seats are all good (unless you’re right in the front row and don’t like being spoken to, sat on, or touched), and we have to admit that we’re all grown up enough to laugh uproariously at a mustachioed comedian reading romance novels out loud and saying “it rose from his body like a hairless dachshund.”
La Soiree both draws from a pool of “regulars” and also varies who is on stage both from night to night (to some extent) and over the course of the run, so there’s no guaranteeing that what I saw will be what you see. But what I saw was Ursula Martinez’ fabulous disappearing hanky routine (“Did you see vagina? I wasn’t expecting vagina,” our hostess said), the English Gents increasingly ripped balancing act (with pipes, bowler hats, and Financial Times), and Jonathan Burn’s stomach wrenching contortion routine. New to me and just fantastic were aerialist/balance artists David and Fofo, whose orally exchanged ping pong balls turned my stomach but whose quick flips on the trapeze had me roaring with appreciation.
For two hours the evening really sailed by, with dirty jokes, stripping, and side boob galore, plus Feats of Strength and Daring that cranked the excitement levels way up. And there was lots of laughing. Man! I saw all of those booths on the side, and I thought, “Why doesn’t MY office take me to an awesome night like La Soiree?” But you know, it’s early in the season, and I just might drop the suggestion. Unless you’re a prude, it really is a night with something to please all (naughty) tastes, and I’m just going to have to try to go again later in the run.
(This review is for a performance that took place Tuesday, November 11, 2014. It continues through January 11th.)
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