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Tiger Woods and Elin at Beach Blanket Babylon: It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing.
Beach Blanket Babylon, the musical extravaganza with larger than life hats, wants you to let San Francisco go to your head. BBB lives up to the promise of giving the people something to laugh about if not dream about. Il faut donner a rever et a rire—Paul Duval. Carried on by a couple of soul mates, Steve Silver and Jo Schuman Silver, Beach Blanket Babylon carries on from the 1970s a heritage of charisma, wit, warmth and unique sense of the absurd. More info, click here: Icons on stage. Slideshow below.
Contrary to it’s cartoonesque image, it’s not all pointless zaniness. Indeed BBB derives it’s humor direct from pop culture and the headlines. It let’s you laugh about what is really bothering you since they aim pointedly at those who deserve it. It’s a cathartic evening and less gay than I imagined. After all it’s in the North Beach neighborhood on Green Street or Beach Blanket Babylon Street, not in the Castro. The patrons looked mostly like the theater or symphony audience, straight and mostly fifty or older and White; and no young folk even though this would appeal to anybody who loves Saturday Night Live.
Sub prime humor
About Beach Blanket Babylon being cathartic and not just raucous with show tunes belted, I appreciated the money hatted Lehman Brother with his universal implications. Paulino Duran sings about taking vacations as the United States goes another 1.9 trillion into debt to avoid default on loans. Concurrently once-idealistic and promising students literally get hounded for life for the predatory student loans mis-labeled "financial aid"; This continues instead of creating the future we desperately need.
Snow White foreclosure on cottage
Unemployment 9.7 percent and that’s an improvement? Snow White faces foreclosure on her cottage. Snow White says she should have listened to Suzie Orman, who actually did recant about recommending student loans.
Here’s a recent story from the Wall Street Journal. It mentions my real life friend Heather who lost her home in the subprime scandal and faces debilitating student loan payments which the lender refuses to negotiate. Click here: Wall Street Journal by Mary Pilon or here: Heather Ehmke on Berkeley protests
Meanwhile at Club Fugazi. Friday night’s performance opened with the Blues Brothers taking their seats in the orchestra pit and the star of the show, Snow White, emerges in her Minnie Mouse squeaky voice and plastic black fifties do, coming to San Francisco in search of her Prince Charming. Where are all the gentlemen coming to rescue a damsel in distress? That’s Bay Area native Shawna Ferris as Snow White although BBB just held auditions for a new one.
Worse, Bill Clinton comes out after Hillary in her cantaloupe-colored pant suit. Bill Clinton is the one who made student loans non-dischargeable in bankruptcy, trapping a generation. Hillary then drafted a student borrower bill of rights that withered and died in committee. Barbara Boxer co-sponsored.
Hillary? That’s tall and statuesque Caitlin McGinty, born and raised in San Mateo. I think Heather and I saw her entering O’Reilly’s after the show. O’Reilly’s has a big sketch of Oscar Wilde on the wall when you enter and every inch of wall space is covered.
No more broccoli?
Back to Bill. The jokes were about the stints in his heart, fresh of the front pages over the past couple of days. Hey Bill, when Bush said no more broccoli, it was the beginning of the end.
I myself (pictured left, no make-up at Slim's)just lost fifteen pounds after eating twenty pounds of broccoli since December. Go green, gentlemen. Speaking of which, Al Gore comes out at BBB asking if it’s warm in here, with his global warming hat.
Nancy Pelosi comes out in her black leather and Barack gets the place rocking with Rock Around the Clock and Michelle in her purple sleeveless dress.
Ex governor Sarah Palin emerges singing “I wrote a book, I worked so hard; and I can see Russia from my backyard.” Nothing about checking her palm for the lyrics.
So the show gets off to a rowsing start and never lets up with non-stop, rapid fire energy. Tailor made for the television and internet generation with an attention span of a minute or two at most. Click. Next! The frenetic pace itself is funny.
There’s a “hey Barack” moment with Bill Clinton and a stimulus package in the form of Viagara. Phillip Percy Williams from Mobile, Alabama plays Barrack.
Michael Phelps is apparently still “high on life” (puff, close curtain). Paulino Duran again.
The characters continually get Snow White’s name wrong, starting with, let me tell you, Snow Tires, try Paris. That’s another Bay Area native, jazz singer San Franciscan Renee Lubin, who sings not only Glinda in pink but the “Am I Blue” lady.
The French Poodles emerge, one tall, one medium, one petite. Lady Gaga comes out in some sexy bubbles begging to be popped only to be topped by Susan Boyle in full on Scottish. She launches into, They call me frumpy but I gotta new attitude . . . and Tiger Woods sings it don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing.
One of the poodles, Dough Magpiong, actually teaches dance in Sonoma to grade-schoolers.
King Louis comes out (get it) with an impossibly tall and pink twin tower of curls. I think that’s Curt Branom. Program notes say he just appeared with local opera diva Frederica Von Stade. Similarly Tammy Nelson, from San Jose, has performed light opera. She's performed in Nunsense.
For a send up of Fiddler on the Roof by the Nunsense folks: Meshuggah-Nuns.
Fiddler on the Roof still a classic (oy vey I'm gay!)
For rush ticket details and a slideshow click here: Fiddler on the Roof opens with songs Matchmaker; Rich Man; Sunrise, Sunset or here: $30 rush tickets available.
Dating advice means trash your Hermes: Don't be too much of a lady
Back to Snow White. She gets dating advice, like date trashy if you want to catch a Frenchman. So she emerges with a trash can hat filled with French litter such as an Hermes box; a Perrier bottle; one stocking and a red lace bra.
Whoopie Goldberg visits from the View with enormous dreadlocks like something out of Greek mythology, black snakes for hair.
Richard Simmons comes out, the same man who played the petite poodle. It’s really fun to see the quick changes and how these performers reinvent themselves so quickly, making a joke out of their identities. Ryan Rigazz, son of a jazz musician.
Snow White gets called not only Snow Tires now but Snow Blower . . . Snow Balls . . . Tina Turner calls her Snow Ho.
The Bar Mitzvah: Have a tequila
The Bar Mitzvah scene begins with Bottle Dancers, taking off on Fiddler on the Roof with a few songs like Have a Tequila. A witch doctor comes out instead of a rich doctor to the tune of If I were a Rich Man. This was probably done with all due respect to the classic which began about the same time as Beach Blanket Babylon, actually the play was earlier, in the 60s.
BBB also sends up Wicked with their twisted Surviving Gravity (instead of Defying Gravity).
Parent Hoods
There’s a whole parental section with the Octomom, Kate Goslin and John Edwards along with Levi Johnston. This escalates into a take off on Michael Jackson and thriller with the cast dancing, it’s spectacular. It made me want to jump up out of my chair and dance with them.
Michael Jackson's This is It: Life is no dress rehearsal.
In summary, Snow White continues her fast-paced musical journey around the world in search of her “Prince Charming” and encounters a star-studded, ever-changing line-up of hilarious pop-culture characters along the way, including President Barack & Michelle Obama, Amy Winehouse, Senator John McCain, Governor Sarah Palin, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Jonas Brothers. There is a happy ending when she finds her king. Yes, the king lives. If in infamy, as Babylonians do.
Tickets range from $25 - $80 and can be purchased online at beachblanketbabylon.com, or by calling the box office at 415-421-4222. All performances take place at Club Fugazi, 678 Beach Blanket Babylon Blvd. (Green St.) in the heart of San Francisco’s North Beach district. Beach Blanket Babylon performs on Wednesdays & Thursdays at 8 p.m., Fridays at 6:30 p.m., Saturdays at 6:30 & 9:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 & 5 p.m. Photo I.D. required (due to liquor license restrictions). Persons under 21 not admitted to evening performances. (Minors welcome at Sunday matinees.)
More info: http://www.beachblanketbabylon.com/
My friend Heather likes the Amante bar on Green nearby, where Carol Doda performs as a singer once in awhile. http://www.amantesf.com/
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