Check out this segment on The Donkey Show from WGBH:
From its six-year run in New York City to a world tour from London to Seoul, the celebrated smash hit The Donkey Show now takes Boston by storm, bringing you the ultimate disco experience—a crazy circus of mirror balls and feathered divas, of roller skaters and hustle queens. Come party on the dance floor to all the 70s disco hits you know by heart as the show unfolds around you.
The Donkey Show tells the story of A Midsummer Night’s Dream through the great 70s anthems, including “We are Family,” “I Love the Nightlife,” “Car Wash,” “Ring My Bell,” and “Last Dance.” The enchanted forest of Shakespeare’s classic comedy becomes the glittered world of retro disco as the lovers escape from their real lives to experience a night of dream, abandon, and fantasy.
A.R.T.’s OBERON houses this magical romp. Join the party under the disco ball. After the show, the party continues into the night so you can live out your own fantasy of disco fever!
Comments
donkey show
I must qualify my critique because I am old and far prefer the ART of past years. I have criticized some of your recent things, but not so directly for cast incompetence, which is what I saw last night.
Even though I might not care for the type of show, I still expect a certain standard of competence. However, this one is dreadfully dismal; the male dancers, posturing self-consciously, were noticeably unskilled, untrained in dance, and a number of patrons had better steps. Sometimes the dancers looked like awkward adolescents, gracelessly repeating simple steps and other times they looked like amateur night at a gay night club. Even the roller skater's skills were mediocre.
And, that was all there was to the show in that there were no perceivable melodies sung, the music was canned, and no story told. Could it be true, as I have heard it rumored, that the ART is in such desperate financial straits that it no longer can hire writers, pay play royalties, or cast real, professional performers?
I feel sad in making these negative comments because, until quite recently, the ART has been marvelous luxury in my life since its inception.
Thanks for listening to me,
Tony Carleton
re:donkey show
I take it you spent the show sitting at a table. I almost feel that the ART shouldn't sell those tickets, because they create the misconception that this is a show that can be watched rather than immersed in. It is not a show to be watched, and you don't reserve tables at a real nightclub. The male dancers are not there to perform impressive routines -- there's a limit to what you can do on a three-by-three square block, after all -- but to create the club atmosphere, get the patrons dancing, and play their part in the story.
The amount of attention you seem to have paid to the dancers might explain your comment that there was "no story told"; the principal characters in the story were played by other cast members, about whom you apparently have nothing to say. The cast you call "incompetent" is improvising at every performance, dancing and talking with the patrons while in character, switching characters (and genders and costumes) in an eyeblink, and dealing with the unexpected. And if you missed the story -- the love triangle, the chaos wrought by the roller skater and his drugs, the utterly reprehensible thing that the club owner does to his girlfriend, and the somewhat troubling resolution -- well, it is chaotic, and it is probably more difficult to follow if you're not closely familiar with A Midsummer Night's Dream. But I think the main point is that The Donkey Show needs to be experienced with a participatory attitude, and they probably shouldn't sell those table tickets separately. True, this might result in the college students taking over the space and leaving no refuge for the adults, but if all patrons understand this risk, they might understand the show better before they come to see it. Personally, I can't imagine enjoying this show if I were watching from the sidelines.
Humbly,
LRB
The Donkey Show
I am somewhat old as well but I had a great time at the Donkey Show last night. I thought that the dancers skillfully pulled the audience (sometimes literally!) into the bacchanalia of a Midsummer's Night. I've got to say, that was a better choice than having them remote and perfect. I saw the dreadful Onion Cellar last year and thought this might be more of the same somewhat forced attempt at smashing the fourth wall. However, with no expectations on you but to dance to oldies for the first half hour, most of the audience was down on the floor and into the action. It was just plain fun. When the story began around us, and kept moving, it was easy to be drawn in on a different level than sitting and watching promotes.
Perhaps I may feel differently after Dream No More, but for this fluffy but fun romantic comedy, which I've seen staged at least 5 times, being pulled in viserally and just pinged with the plot every now and then was a lot more engaging than I expected.
NOT TRUE!
I was at the same show and you are wrong. You are just looking to bitch about something. These guys were great, the whole group was incredible. No, they were amazing. The guys danced their a*ss off and interacted with all the guest wonderfully. I watched them dance with a cute 21 year old girl, a 40 year old man and a 70 year old woman (a personal friend). The show was great well danced, I have 28 years training in dance, I feel I can say they danced their hearts outs. If you have a chance GO SEE THE SHOW. See for yourself the great performance and have the night of your life.
I am a longtime subscriber
I am a longtime subscriber and faithful to the ART. I loved the Donkey Show and I was at a table. One could clearly see the connection to Midsummer Nights Dream. I must be honest I am fearful that this is too much of a drastic change for a premier season and wonder how subscribers will react. I also wonder whats going to happen to the longstanding wonderful cast. I'm all for change but in small doses. I hope this brings new subscribers and we keep the old ones too
I didn't sit at a table, I
I didn't sit at a table, I was in the middle of the dance floor, pre-gamed by downing two vodka sodas, was READY to get down... and left with a headache. At certain moments I did have fun. Out in line with my friends, entering the space, dancing on a cube.... The rest? Lame!!!! If the singing and dancing had been impressive enough, I wouldn't even care about the fact that there was absolutely NO good text worth listening to. But the singing was TERRIBLE, (like they had to amp up the background music over the lead actress's voice every song. It sounded like a karaoke bar.) The dancing? There was not a step of difficult choreography to marvel at. If I'm gonna see fluff disco "shakespeare", I at least want something impressive to watch. The performers did have great energy, but they just weren't given anything difficult to flex their muscles for. And yes, they were trying really hard, and danced their hearts out, but it seemed to me that it was stuff that anyone- performer or not- could do. I am very familiar with A Midsummer Night's Dream. Did I see a connection to it in The Donkey Show? Of course I did, I'm not an idiot! That doesn't mean it was an interesting, well-formed, thought-provoking parallel to SHAKESPEARE's play!!! So they put it in a nightclub a la Studio 54... I don't get why people are saying it's "blurring the lines of theater". It's just making a theater into a night club, people! At the end of the day, it's a karaoke night club. Big Deal. And I'm not "just bitching"... I know a great experience when I have one. I could say I had a "good time"... but scr*w that, I should have had a FABULOUS time! (Especially for a $25 cover...) HOWEVER... I'm very excited to see Sleep No More. That sounds like it IS blurring the lines of theater, and I hope the ART knows the difference as well.
also a longtime ART
also a longtime ART subscriber and a supporter of stretching the boundaries of theater, i have to say that my experience on saturday night night at the donkey show was a real disappointment- it was a one liner, hardly a concept, excruciating-i expect more from ART than this-
The most fun I've ever had on Halloween...
We dressed up and thoroughly enjoyed the Donkey Show. I went to college in the 70's and I've always HATED disco, but this was just wonderful. I actually sang along with just about every song and danced my ass off. It was so much fun to take part and dance and run around with the actors. I loved the cross-genderness of it all. My gawd, the lead woman was fantastic! I hope they do something like this again next Halloween. From start to finish, it was a total blast! I've never had so much fun at the theatre. Thank you ART and everyone in the cast and crew. The next night we went to Sleep No More and THAT WAS EVEN MORE FAROUT.
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