by Steve Desroches
It’s Carnival Week, and while Provincetown may be taking a trip down the Mississippi River to New Orleans with this year’s theme of Mardi Gras by the Sea, the Crown and Anchor is ready to blast off to infinity and beyond with Star Boys: A Sci-Fi Burlesque. All summer long the Paramount has turned into the Millennium Falcon in this playfully erotic trip to, you guessed it, Uranus.
For the better part of a decade, the country has seen a revival of burlesque with Provincetown being one of the hot spots for the art of the tease. While the term burlesque may elicit images of Gypsy Rose Lee with swinging pasties, the performance style is actually more a variety show that is both comedic and naughty in nature. And Star Boys is fun, summertime fare, as it combines a multimedia backdrop to this Cirque du Soleil style, fully nude revue.
Hosted by Provincetown drag favorite Jona Williams, Star Boys is a wild ride that plays like a fun house at a carnival, with each performance piece surprising as much as it entertains. It’s a perfect choice for an only-in-Provincetown night out, as you are unlikely to see another show that features a drag queen spoof on the 1970s Disney movie The Cat from Outer Space, a naked Storm Trooper spinning at warp speed in a silk aerial act, and the audience doing battle with an evil alien after Princess Leia hands out laser guns to the front row.
Star Boys is a particularly good choice for Carnival Week, where the crowd in town is looking to party, as the more rowdy the audience the better the show. At Star Boys you are encouraged to hoot and holler, as that is an integral part of the show. You provide the fuel with your applause and cheers that send the rocketship of the show into orbit. The louder you are the better the show.
Perhaps what is most surprising and engaging about this frisky, spirited show is the athleticism of the male dancers. Star Boys gives you all the thrills and reveals of a strip show as it also entertains with the variety of acts in this adult extravaganza. But it also amazes as the dancers present real feats of strength, dexterity, and talent utilizing aerial silks and hoops, as well as balancing acts that both elicit giggles and the kind of good-natured exhibitionism inherent in burlesque. Ever see a man take off a rhinestone jock strap while balancing on one-hand and then throwing his naked body feet first over his head in a contortionist meets Darth Vader dance number? No. Well than buy a ticket for the spaceship Crown and Anchor and get lost in space with these full frontal alien invaders!
Star Boys: A Sci Fi Burlesque is onstage at the Crown and Anchor, 247 Commercial St., Provincetown, Wednesday – Sunday at 8:30 p.m. (with some schedule variations) through September 8. Tickets ($25 general/$35 VIP) are available at the box office and online at onlyatthecrown.com. Reserved seating is also available to those who dine at the Central House restaurant before the show (reservations may be made by calling 508.487.1430, ext. 3). For more information call 508.487.1430.
