Strip
Strip (Bare-ly Legal) (Globe Playhouse, West Hollywood; 99 seats; $ 20 top) Madame Dish Prods. Inc. presents a play in one act, created by Steven J. McCarthy (aka Madame Dish) with Miki Jackson, Lyndel S. Parks & the Original Co. Directed by McCarthy and Parks. Executive producer, Jackson. Choreography, Euri; original music, Alex Verden; scenic/technical design, Lyndel S. Parks; costume design, Shon LeBlanc. Opened, reviewed Sept. 13, 1996; runs through Nov. 2. Running time: 75 min. Cast: Madame Dish (Ms. Kitty), Michael Ellis (Mr. Mephistopheles), Jamie St. Anthony (David Weinstock), Nick Salamone (Dr. Todd Richards), Bob Prest (Uncle Mortie), Penny Peyrot (Felicia), Thomas J. Potter (Matt), Eddie Shapiro (Lawrence Weinstock), Bethany Carpenter (Zelda Weinstock). Tomcats: Euri (Julio), Kevin Kramer (Golden Boy), Kris Anderson (Jimmy Bob), Joe Elvis Alway (Beau), Bo Stallion (Zeus), Fabricio Gamboa (Precious). Somewhere in and around 75 minutes of practically nonstop male stripping, there is an illusion of a play being presented in the environmental comedy "Strip." But the characters in the "drama" portion of the evening merely offer intermittent accents to the real show, as nine men take their turns dressing down completely to their bare essentials, all under the guidance of "dominatrix of ceremonies" Miss Kitty ( Steven J. McCarthy, aka Miss Dish) and her assistant, Mr. Mephistopheles (Michael Ellis). Audience and cast members intermingle as all are invited into the infamous Cat Club for an evening of adult entertainment provided by Miss Kitty and her Tomcat dancer-stripper ensemble. Special guests of the evening are Dr. Todd (Nick Salamone) and his significant other, David Weinstock (Jamie St. Anthony), who are celebrating 18 years of co-habitational bliss. Party guests include David's ex-wife Felicia (Penny Peyrot), their 18 -year-old son Lawrence (Eddie Shapiro), Felicia's lover Matt (Thomas J. Potter), David's mother, Zelda (Bethany Carpenter), and family friend Uncle Mortie (Bob Prest). There is absolutely no character or plot development involved as the guests sit there and enjoy the show, while interacting in character with various audience members. St. Anthony and Salamone are a very relaxed couple as they luxuriate in the attention being paid them by the jockstrap-wielding dancers. Peyrot attempts some interplay with Potter and the dancers, but it is lost in the din of activity surrounding her. A major distraction is the unintelligible, improvised dialogue of Carpenter as David's sexually charged mother, which is never in synch with the onstage activity. McCarthy offers a properly sultry persona as Miss Kitty, who prefers gentle persuasion in her relationships with her dancers, despite the presence of her many-thonged lash. She handles her chanteuse duties well, purring out such original ditties as "Sweet Fornication" and "I Want to Hurt You So Bad." Michael Ellis is amusingly stoic as the always helpful Mr. Mephistopheles. The Tomcats, performing to Alex Verden's rhythm-heavy pre-recorded music, display varying abilities as dancers with choreographer-dancer Euri keeping the steps pretty basic. The main motivation is to get down to the final piece of minuscule apparel as soon as possible; once that is discarded, the number is over. Shon La Blonc's break-away costumes offer no hindrance to the dancers' activities. This production is a fundraising source for Aunt Bee's Free Laundry & Housekeeping Service, which is the only agency in Los Angeles County that does household laundry free of charge for people who have AIDS. Julio Martinez )
