Brute Force

There could be two things any gay New Yorker could ask for -- a sweet bargain and lots of skin. We hit the jackpot last Saturday night with Fuerza Bruta. It was part of the 20at20 off-Broadway discount promo ($20 bucks 20 minutes before the show, normally it's around $75) and it was Boys Night (that special night catered to the boys). I have seen the show last year via 20at20 too but it wasn't Boys Night and I was equally curious and excited to watch it the second time. I dragged my friend Rob R to watch the show with me. We waited out in the cold before they let the 20at20 buyers in at exactly 9:40 pm.

Fuerza Bruta, or "brute force" in Spanish, is a theatrical spectacle akin to a Cirque du Soleil production set to techno and tribal beats. But instead of being slumped on a chair, the audience are required to stand, move about as directed, and well, participate. There are lots of visual imagery and sonic orgasm that come into play as each segment is subject to meaningless interpretation. There's clearly no thinking involved here and if you wrap yourself around it, you might get confused. 

What you'll get though is a strained neck. One of the highlights of the show is the pool that descends just above your head. On regular nights, it's an all girl splash-in-the-water action. They wear dresses and underwear that leaves nothing to the imagination by the time they get all playful and soaked with all the water. And by the time they get lowered just above your head, people get to grope and touch them from the plastic or whatever that pool's made of. This is the only major difference on Boys Night. On one Saturday of each month, the male cast gets to be on the pool. Which turned out to be a major letdown. One would think that what with all the girls do (or wear) on every night, the boys would provide an equal amount of sexiness. But they didn't. One guy wore boxers, which isn't much; another was in red pants, another guy in white pants, which isn't much, either and a girl. What the hell is this girl joining the boys on Boys Night?  I am not asking for full-on nudity but with the way they advertise the whole thing, and judging from what I saw when the girls were on, you would expect something sexier and naughtier but no. It was kinda mehhh.

But aside from that, I enjoyed the show. Rob R called me Mr. Audience Participation since I asked one of the female dancers to smash a pizza box filled with confetti above my head and joined in to dance with her on the floor (not on stage). The rest of the cast roamed around the audience and encouraged them to dance and move.  The energy was so palpable that you really couldn't say no. It's like the rhythm is summoning you to jump up and down and dance. And towards the finale, amidst all the dancing and grooving, we were splattered with water by one of the cast members and then near the center of the floor, out came a giant showerhead from above and hosed down the audience. It was one of those fun things that even the Scrooges of this world would totally understand and give in to the experience.

Catch a glimpse of it here: