Originally posted HERE.Theater Review: Go-Go Killers!
by Teresa Jusino
Geek Theater is truly becoming a genre in its own right. From larger budget productions like Evil Dead: The Musical and The Toxic Avenger to off-off Broadway plays like the previously reviewed The Wendigo and Universal Robots, geek theater is all the rage!
Go-Go Killers, the latest entry into the mix, is everything a fan of B-movies, Quentin Tarantino, or hot, badass chicks in skimpy outfits could want!
The story is set in 2019 in a world where global warming has ravaged the planet, the gulf between rich and poor has eliminated the middle class altogether, and law and order as we know it is out the window. The world is divided up into territories by go-go dancing gang debs who are kidnapping and killing the world’s wealthiest citizens. The heroines of the story are a girl gang called The Furies (all the girls and gangs have taken on names from Greek mythology), and we follow them as they kidnap a rich uncle and nephew and take them to the Queen of the girl gangs, flirting and fighting their way across the deserts of New New Jersey.
The story however, while intriguing, isn’t what makes this play special. What makes it special is Rachel Klein’s deft direction and hilarious and inspired choreography, which is guaranteed to make you want to invest in lots of glitter and a pair of hot pants. This is a play, not a musical, and yet the go-go dance breaks (not to mention go-go fight sequences!) are even more instrumental in telling the story than the dialogue. It’s difficult to adapt a genre that’s so firmly cinematic, but Klein effortlessly evokes 1950s cautionary tales of juvenile delinquency and 1960s B-movies in a way that makes sense on stage.
Playwright Sean Gill’s dialogue is perfect and funny, betraying a strong love of the kind of films that inspired the script. He’s created some wonderful characters, and set up a world in which it would be fun to spend some time. We always care about The Furies (as well as the other gang debs who make an appearance), and they are why this play is worth a viewing.
Enough can’t be said about this talented cast of go-go girls (and boys!). Special kudos must go to Kari Warchock as Marietta, the Furies’ newest member; Elizabeth Stewart as Electra, the Furies’ fearless leader; and Reagan Wilson as Pandora, the Furies’ second-in-command. Warchock’s strength lies in her impeccable comic timing, and her Marietta is completely endearing. Stewart’s Electra is the badass leader we all wish we could be. She moves beautifully and is a strong actress, owning the stage whenever she’s on it and giving us a nuanced portrayal of a character that could have easily been a caricature. Wilson is the complete package, delivering funny, saucy, and menacing in equal measure, and allowing us to remember why characters like Cleopatra Jones are so awesome. The cast is also a diverse bunch - in age, race, and body type - and it’s nice to see the performers in this mixed group all get to be sexy, smart, and funny, using and subverting stereotypes simultaneously to wonderful effect.
Go-Go Killers is in its final performances this weekend. If you’re looking for powerful, well-dressed ladies, wry social commentary, and kitschy, B-movie inspired fun, get yourself to the Sage Theater in NYC on Friday or Saturday night!
-Teresa Jusino
**Go-Go Killers plays Friday and Saturday night at 8PM at The Sage Theater (711 Seventh Avenue, NYC). Tickets are and are available online at www.smarttix.com**
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