SPOOGE: THE SEX AND LOVE MONOLOGUES
Source: NYTheatre.comSpooge, which is subtitled "The Sex & Love Monologues," is a sprightly, well-crafted divertissement written and directed by Joshua James. In it, a dozen actors discourse, solo and in groups, on the advertised subject. The balance is heavily on sex; I would have liked a little more material on what James terms the "number one best thing there is." But the writing is crisp and clever, the staging is savvy, and the performances are well-intended if a bit uneven. This is a tasty little show.
The vignettes–which number at least two dozen; they're not listed in the program and I lost count quickly–range from quickie blackouts about topics such as masturbation and penis size to full-fledged sketches and monologues. The evening begins with a very fanciful, very funny harangue by no less a personage than Venus herself, all about how she became the goddess of love and what a rotten gig it's turned out to be. And it ends with a pair of well-reasoned pieces about gay rights that score significant points without being preachy. In between are some genuinely clever bits, like the saga of an over-aged dominatrix, and a lot of giggly naughty stuff with a frat-boy feel that is nevertheless quite well written. Except for those final gay-themed pieces, James speaks almost exclusively from the straight white male perspective, which weakens Spooge. But the material is strong despite this drawback; and James has staged it inventively and breezily.
The program doesn't identify the actors to the sketches, so I can't single any out for praise. Several of the actors are quite fine; alas a few are clearly lacking experience and technique.
The Riant Theatre, host to Spooge, is located in Tribeca, in what was for several weeks the "frozen zone" near the World Trade Center site. This is their first production since September 11; it demonstrates a company worthy of support in troubled times. (reviewed on November 6, 2001)