Rescue Me

Sorry for the late post, fellow IMS members, but I was waiting for approval of the above publicity photo from Michi Barall's "Rescue Me," playing at the Ohio Theater through April 18th since it demonstrates that the show does indeed include good male shirtlessness. Hurrah for independent theater! I was lucky enough to catch the first preview of this smart and funny show, and when the characters started talking about the ritualistic bathing of their prisoners, I started to get very excited indeed. I kept trying to smack Michi who was sitting one seat over from me (much to the chagrin of my neighbor), and while she was actually paying to attention to what the actors were saying, I was wiggling around in my seat thinking that this was my wildest theatrical dream come true, a play that contained both witty banter and good shirtlessness. What more can an IMS member ask for? The shirtlessness is even accompanied by water!

Lest I not give props where props are due, let's give a big IMS cheer for Ryan King who is sporting the excellent shirtlessness pictured above as well as a very cute pair of boxer-briefs in "Rescue Me" and who was kind enough to allow me to post this picture of him being bathed. He gives a great performance and is a nice person to boot. A+ in my Shirtlessness Book.

But seriously, this show gave me a lot of hope. I know I am constantly bemoaning the state of theater as dominated by all white, sometimes living males, and to see a play written by a woman of color produced with such care and beauty and received by the audience with a lot of laughter truly added a spring to my step. Maybe all is not lost after all. This retelling of "Iphigenia in Tauris" features a diverse cast of fabulous actors, some terrific choreography by Julian Barnett, fantastic staging on a gorgeous set by Loy Arcenas, and of course, a truly smart and sassy script by the magical Ms. Barall. You might go for the shirtlessness and find yourself enjoying something else entirely. I have to give shout outs to the beautiful Jennifer Ikeda for her wonderfully nuanced take on Iphigenia and to the always hilarious Paco Tolson for his use of 80s dance moves throughout the play as well as his expert handling of sheep. So to quote the curtain call, all I can say is "Here I am, baby, signed, sealed, delivered - I'm yours..."

In shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS