{"id":5592,"date":"2013-04-08T17:58:02","date_gmt":"2013-04-09T00:58:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/?p=5592"},"modified":"2013-10-16T12:07:34","modified_gmt":"2013-10-16T19:07:34","slug":"glitz-glitter-and-song-at-the-hypnodrome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/glitz-glitter-and-song-at-the-hypnodrome\/","title":{"rendered":"Glitz, glitter and song at The Hypnodrome"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lynn Ruth [rating:4] (4\/5 stars)<\/span><\/h3>\n

The Thrill Peddlers present\u2026.
\nTINSEL TARTS IN A HOT COMA
\nMusic and lyrics: Scrumbly Koldewyn
\nBook: Sweet Pam\u201d Tent
\nDirected by Russell Blackwood<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Cockettes were basically complete sexual anarchy
\nWhich is always a good thing.
\nJohn Waters<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Cockettes were the first hippie drag queens,\u201d said filmmaker John Waters,\u00a0 \u201cInsane hippie drag queens on and off the stage.\u201d\u00a0 And that sentence sums up that outrageous and delightful group of wild, flamboyant hippies, transsexuals, gays and rebels that managed to destroy all our sacred cows on and off the stage. \u00a0They created a series of drug infused ostentatious musical shows so camp only the sub-culture in San Francisco could understand them.\u00a0 Their musicals were disorganized and wild, filled with glitter and nudity, mad and maddening yet irresistible to anyone ready to accept the unacceptable.<\/p>\n

When they brought the original production of \u201cTinsel Tarts in a Hot Coma\u201d to New York In 1971, the establishment simply could not handle their \u201cin your face\u201d exuberance. It was critic Lillian Roxon who realized that, inexperienced, chaotic and rough as they were, the group blazed a trail for a cultural evolution we are experiencing today \u201cTheir influence will be felt years from now,\u201d she said. “Every time you see too much glitter or a rhinestone out-of-place, you (will) know it’s because of the Cockettes.”<\/p>\n

Russell Blackwood, director of the Thrill Peddlers fell in love with the Cockette spirit and in 2009 he re-invented the Cockette production Pearls Over Shanghai<\/em>\u00a0 and followed it with Vice Palace. <\/em>\u00a0Now, we have his re-imagining of \u00a0Tinsel Tarts In A Hot Coma<\/em> the 1971 musical originally performed by The Cockettes at The Palace Theatre in San Francisco.<\/p>\n

Blackwood\u2019s interpretation of that production is on stage now at the Hypnodrome theatre and if you like splashy costume, great energy and not much plot, this production is your cup of tea.\u00a0 Three of the original Cockettes are in this version of the musical that blossomed in San Francisco and died in New York.\u00a0 \u00a0Two of them, Scrumbly Koldewyn and Pam Tent also rewrote the book and added 18 songs from the original four-page outline used in that first production.\u00a0 For this reviewer, Scrumbly Koldewyn is worth hearing and seeing anytime he takes to the stage.\u00a0 His musical talent is beyond words, so original and exciting are his compositions; so thrilling his keyboard technique. Pam Tent steals the show in a parody of Hedda Hopper and no one can resist her.<\/p>\n

The energy and enthusiasm of the cast is infectious and everyone who sees the show cannot help but have a wonderful time. \u00a0This production is so much more than a musical,\u00a0 It is a happening and great fun from the opening number Ain\u2019t We Deluxe<\/em> to the spirited finale loaded with flashing breasts, swinging dicks, glittering gams and feathers, Hades Lowdown.<\/em><\/p>\n

The question is: Are we so jaded by all that has gone before that the Cockette spirit is just a bit too over the top for today\u2019s audiences?\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s nothing but a high school musical,\u201d said one member of the audience. \u201cAll the performers put out lots of effort and enthusiasm, and the songs were clever….but \u00a0I didn’t see any reason for the nudity in the finale. I’m hardly a prude but it just seemed out of place.\u201d<\/p>\n

The truth is naked bodies aren\u2019t that shocking anymore and too much glitter and glitz is boring.\u00a0 We have all been there, done that and seen it so many times before.\u00a0 That said; if you want a fun evening that does nothing to enrich you but everything to tickle your funny bone, don\u2019t miss this fast-moving, melodic farce.\u00a0 Tinsel Tarts in a Hot Coma<\/em> is a production you\u2019ll not soon forget: more colorful than a rainbow, and as delightful as a surfeit of ice cream and cake.<\/p>\n

The sixties are gone; dope will never be as cheap
\nSex never as free and rock & roll never as great.
\nAbbie Hoffman<\/p>\n

TINSEL TARTS continues through June 1, 2012
\nThursday-Saturday @ 8pm
\nThe Hypnodrome Theatre 575 Tenth Street, SF
\nTickets: brownpapertickets.com or 800 838 3006
\nInfo: thrillpeddlers.com 415 377 4204<\/p>\n

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Lynn Ruth [rating:4] (4\/5 stars) The Thrill Peddlers present\u2026. TINSEL TARTS IN A HOT COMA Music and lyrics: Scrumbly Koldewyn Book: Sweet Pam\u201d Tent Directed by Russell Blackwood \u201cThe Cockettes…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"yasr_overall_rating":0,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[837],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-5592","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-joe-cillo"},"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":true,"span_bottom":"