<div dir="ltr"><p class="" style="line-height:14pt"><font size="5"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"><span style="color:rgb(255,0,0)"><font><br></font></span></span></font></p><p class="" style="line-height:14pt">
<font size="5"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"><span style="color:rgb(255,0,0)"><font>•••••••••••••••••••</font></span><br></span></font></p><p class="" style="line-height:14pt"><font size="5"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">Screaming women encourage the sexual goings-on
at the Hanna<font size="5"> </font>Theatre</span></font></p><font size="5">
</font>
<p class="" style="line-height:14pt"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">Roy Berko</span></p>
<p class="" style="line-height:14pt"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Palatino;color:black">(Member, American
Theatre Critics Association, Cleveland Critics Circle)</span></p>
<p class="" style="line-height:14pt"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">There are some weird and off-beat goings-on in
downtown Cleveland’s PlayhouseSquare.<span style>
</span>At the State, cross-dressers and a transvestite are feverishly dancing
and preening in PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT, THE MUSICAL.<span style> </span>At the Hanna, witches and warlocks are
cavorting in BELL, BOOK AND CANDLE.<span style>
</span>On stage at the Hanna, in SPANK!<span style>
</span>THE FIFTY SHADES PARODY, whips, chains, handcuffs and undulating abs
have the mostly 20-something female crowd screaming for more.<span style> </span>Yes, female crowd…the farer sex
outnumbered the males by at least 100 to 1.</span></p>
<p class="" style="line-height:14pt"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">British author, Ericka Leonard’s Fifty Grades of
Grey erotic novel trilogy (e.g., FIFTY SHADES OF GREY, FIFTY SHADES DARKER and
FIFTY SHADES FREED) has sold 65 million copies, making it the biggest selling
paperback series of all time.</span></p>
<p class="" style="line-height:14pt"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">It is, as I was told by Cher, Rachel and Janine,
the helpful trio of beauties sitting behind me, a take-off on all those soft
back novels available in drug stores, that are consumed by women who sit at
home consuming calories and sexual illusions.<span style> </span>You know, the books with the photo-shopped sculpted,
gym-toned male studs on the cover.<span style>
</span></span></p>
<p class="" style="line-height:14pt"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">In addition, the trio told me that some
vignettes in the FIFTY SHADES books have allusions to the TWILIGHT series, the
four vampire-themed novels by<span style>
</span>American author Stephanie Meyer.</span></p>
<p class="" style="line-height:14pt"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">I must, in full-disclosure, admit to not having
read any of the Leonard or Meyer books, so little did I know what I was getting
in for when I entered the “she-den,” known most of the time as The Hanna
Theatre.</span></p>
<p class="" style="line-height:14pt"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">SPANK! THE FIFTY SHADES OF PARODY is a musical
written by seven, yes, seven authors.<span style>
</span>There is little music, and the story line, I was told by my bevy of
beauties, parallels the first book and tacks on the ending of the second book.
(I have to trust them that this is true.<span style>
</span>Would those cuties lie to me?)</span></p>
<p class="" style="line-height:14pt"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">The “story” concerns a woman writer who has the
weekend where her husband and children are off to Disneyland, to write one or
more books aimed at adult women.<span style>
</span>The requisites?<span style> </span>The novels
must contain lots of sex, sado masochism, sex, fantasy, sex, anatomical and
slang references to about every part of a woman’s body, sex, and some more
sex.<span style> </span></span></p>
<p class="" style="line-height:14pt"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">The heroine, Anastasia Steele, is created before
our eyes by the writer, who tinkers and adjusts the script as we observe.<span style> </span>Ana encounters wealthy, studly, Hugh
Hanson, a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control.<span style> </span>A man of perfectly formed abs and a
vivid sexual imagination, which centers mostly on s and m.<span style> </span>He is beautiful, brilliant and
intimidating, and looks great in his form fitting tiny Batman underwear, that
conceal little, and skin tight jeans, which also leave little to the
imagination. </span></p>
<p class="" style="line-height:14pt"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">The innocent
Ana longs to be with him, and surrender her virginity.<span style> </span>(Were you expecting something
else?)<span style> </span>Huge (I mean Hugh…hmm…was
that a Freudian slip?) wants her, but on his own terms, which is included in a
long contract (like the type Sheldon requires of those with whom he is in
relationship on TV’s THE BIG BANG THEORY).<span style> </span>Along the way, the story includes snatches from THE SOUND OF
MUSIC, Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, CHARLEY AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, and
of course, TWILIGHT.<span style> </span>This is a
tale of obsession, possession and a night of fantasy when the women viewers go
home and relive the experience through dreams in their own beds.</span></p>
<p class="" style="line-height:14pt"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">SPANK! is a hoot for the first half hour.<span style> </span>It kind of bogs down after the
titillation is over.<span style> </span>It picks up
when Alice Moran (Tasha) goes out into the audience to castigate (or castrate)
the guy in the front row who has the nerve to be texting while the show is going
on, and then ask advice from another audience member about what is proper to
insert into one’s posterior, tushie, butt.<span style> </span>(BTW…the woman who was being queried, answered
“Nothing,” but was talked into a modification of her response.)</span><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"> </span>
</p><p class="" style="line-height:14pt"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">Suzanne Sole (E. G. Janet) has a great time
being the “writer” of the novel which develops before our eyes.<span style> </span>After a while, however, her repeated
attempts at sexuality got a bit much.<span style>
</span>She has a nice singing voice, which, unfortunately, didn’t get a lot of
use.</span></p>
<p class="" style="line-height:14pt"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">Suzanne Sole (Tasha Woode), has a wonderful
wide-eyed innocence and does well with the humor. </span></p>
<p class="" style="line-height:14pt"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">I can assume that the woman would have liked
more of handsome, sensual Gabe Bowling (Hugh Hanson) stripping, bumping,
grinding, and playing Chippendale dancer.<span style>
</span>Moving out onto the runway that surrounded the thrust part of the stage
might have met with dollar bills thrust into his Batman briefs.<span style> </span>The women who lined up after the show
to have their picture taken with the dangerous dude were loving every minute of
it.<span style> </span>Some had to be restrained from
touching the merchandise!</span></p>
<p class="" style="line-height:14pt"><i><span style><span style="font-family:Palatino">CAPSULE
JUDGMENT:</span></span><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"><span style>
</span>SPANK! THE FIFTY SHADES OF PARODY is definitely not a production for
everyone.<span style> </span>Twenty-something women,
with maybe a few 30s and 40s thrown in, who have read and love THE SHADES OF
GREY trilogy, want to let loose, have a couple of glasses of wine and scream
and yell, will have a great time.<span style>
</span>Others, like this old white guy who hasn’t read the books, should have
been at home! </span></i></p>
<p class="" style="line-height:14pt"><span style="font-family:Palatino">SPANK! runs through January 27 at the HANNA THEATRE.<span style> </span>For tickets call 216-241-6000 or go to
<a href="http://www.clevelandplayhouse.com">www.clevelandplayhouse.com</a>.</span></p><p class="" style="line-height:14pt"><span style="color:rgb(255,0,0)"><span style="font-family:Palatino">•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••</span></span></p>
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