The Internet is for Porn

GRINDR the Opera – Pride Films & Plays

The lights gradually dim and out of the hazy darkness steps GRINDR, a glittering, over-the-top personification of the popular hookup app that’s used by thousands of gay men everywhere. Seductively, this bewitching drag performer, bedecked throughout the 85-minute show in a variety of stunning wigs, gowns and heels, sings about the appeal of this iPhone function. A flamboyant narrator, she’s accompanied by two glittering gents (played with panache by Andrew Flynn and Brandon Krisko) who serve as backup. The diva introduces the audience to four very different men, all of whom share varying experiences with this dating app and inspire the stories that are played out in faux operatic style.

The very name of this app is synonymous with notoriety and sleazy sexual stalking. Created by New York playwright, composer and lyricist Eric Ransom, GRINDR the Opera depicts the app’s salacious reputation for being an electronic brothel for gay men with larger-than-life storytelling, set to sweeping musical motifs. Making searching for a hookup so grandiose provides the comedy in Ransom’s sung-through musical revue. His score features every style of music, from baroque to pop, from danceable ditties to bitter ballads.    

GRINDR, the emcee and Greek chorus for the opera, is played in dazzling drag by Bruno Rivera. Costumed with eye-popping glitz and glamor by Shawn Quinlan, each entrance is like a Vegas revue. Utilizing his unbelievable falsetto, Rivera makes a fabulous, whimsical, slinky siren. Awakened from her slumber by the tinkle of technology, GRINDR’s power seems derived from human lust, and is exhibited in the way she manipulates her gay worshippers with her soaring soprano. The problem is that Rivera’s sometimes difficult to understand when singing in her head voice, and really needs to focus on enunciation. The performer is excellent, however, when the score lowers into her chest range. 

GRINDR introduces the audience to the four men who are currently seeking her services. Making his Chicago theatre debut, the handsome, talented and charismatic Justin Cavazos plays Devon, an empathetic health clinic physician. He’s a cautious young man who hasn’t enjoyed any personal close contact since his last relationship ended badly. Now that he’s discovered GRINDR, Devon’s hoping to hook up with somebody new who’ll take things slowly and be gentle and understanding. He finds his Mister Right in Tom, an eager, boyishly handsome young man, played with fresh enthusiasm and honesty by talented college student, Ben Broughton. This lustful, yet somewhat cynical, young man enjoys the thrill of the hunt for his one-night stands. However, this time Tom finds himself drawn into a serious relationship with Devon, perhaps for the first time in his young life.

Next we encounter the seductive, uninhibited, good-looking Jack, played with authority and gusto by Evan Wilhelm. He’s a self-described party boy, a Twink, who uses the app to find as many different johns as possible on any given night. On this occasion, the oversexed agile kid in short-shorts and skimpy tee shirts decides to hookup with someone named Don. This daddy type isn’t just an older man who prefers younger guys; he’s a conservative, closet-case Republican, with a wife and grown son. Don, played with gusto by John Cardone, is equally filled with lust and self-loathing. Whenever he finds a young man willing to do his bidding, Don’s guilt makes achieving satisfaction difficult. Jack is immediately turned off by Don. It’s only when the older man offers the younger man money that he’s willing to be used. What Jack isn’t fully aware of is the danger involved in the sexual encounter in which he’s about to participate.

This adult spoof of the opera genre is the perfect gay musical entertainment for Pride month. It’s funny, graphic, sometimes touching and totally entertaining, particularly for LGBTQ audiences. Both the talented cast, as well as the creative team who help bring this show to life, are to be commended. While it starts to wear a little thin about an hour into the piece, especially listening to GRINDR’s insistent falsetto, Mr. Ransom’s score sports a wide variety of humorous, adult pop tunes and poignant recitatives. Among the 26 songs in the playlist are “Manhunt,” “Cum-Dumpster,” “The Hook-Up Chorus,” “Filling Out a Profile,” “Love is Versatile,” “What Fresh Hell?” and “The Tangled Web.” 

Erik Ransom’s titillating homage to the world of opera, crossed with a notorious dating and hookup app, is everything the savvy theatergoer would expect. Directed with style by John Cardone, featuring expert musical direction by Tommy Ross, and spirited choreography by Assistant Director, Shawn Quinlan (whose costumes fill this production with flair and finesse), this revue has already become an international sensation. If theatergoers aren’t already believers, Eric Ransom’s spicy, spunky parody will convince audiences that, as they sing in “Avenue Q,” the internet is for porn!

Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas

Presented June 23-July 28 by Pride Films & Plays at The Pride Arts Center—The Buena, 4147 N. Broadway, Chicago.

Tickets are available in person at the box office, by calling 866-811-4111 or by going to www.pridefilmsandplays.com.

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.