The Robin Byrd Show Live: Something For Everyone

"The Robin Byrd Show Live", Robin Byrd, GoGo Harder, and Vicky SinI had the time of my life on Saturday, February 9, 2013 when I attended The Robin Byrd Show Live at NYC's historic Cutting Room. For more than 30 years, Robin has been stimulating viewers with her cable television show The Robin Byrd Show. Now she has brought her TV show to the stage in a very fun way. Serving as host of the evening, Robin used her humor to tickle the audience and introduce her guests.

"The Robin Byrd Show Live", Jubilee Diamond, Robin Byrd, GoGo Harder, and Vicky SinWhat made The Robin Byrd Show Live so great was that there was something for everyone. From burlesque and boylesque dancers to strippers, comedians, and theatre artists, Robin had a full range of entertainment. Whether you like boys, girls, or something else, Robin had a guest for you. While I may not be attracted to girls, I was still very intrigued by the burlesque dancers/strippers Robin had perform. My favorite female dancer was Lily Faye. With a throwback to 40s/50s burlesque, Lily brought a sense of class and elegance to her routine in the way she moved and in the way she removed her clothes. I also enjoyed Minnie Tonka''s "futureistic" dances. From her costumes to her movements, I appreciated her theatrical approach to stripping. Sweet Lorraine added still another dimension to her acts...one of a more innoncent female to a woman in charge. The one act that really got my rocket soaring was boylesque dancer GoGo Harder. From his mechanic's strip to a 70s' roller-skater, GoGo, knew how to get the crowd excited!

D'yan ForestWhat made this evening extra special for me was getting to see two of my fellow "Call Me Adam" participants, D'yan Forest and Ben Rimalower, up on stage with Robin. D'yan, who was promoting her new show "My Pussy is Purrin' Again," (which is playing at Under St. Marks Theater from Feb. 21-March 3) is a bi-sexual comedian and chanteuse who had the audience in stitches with humor and songs about enjoying the company of both men and women. Ben Rimalower was there to promote his triumphant, four-time extended, one-man show "Patti Issues," currently playing at The Duplex in NYC. I only wish that Ben got to perform part of the show for the audience. He's so talented, it would have been nice to have him wow the audience with a bit of the show.

"The Robin Byrd Show Live", GoGo Harder, Vicky Sin, Robin Byrd, and Jubilee DiamondIn between performers, Robin played with her assistants Jake Lemmenes and Amanda Whip, which was fun. She was definitely more flirty with Amanda than Jake, but both of them were so great! Amanda actually opened up the night with a great stripese. Rumor has it that Jake might be taking it off for Robin's very special "Man 4 Man" evening on March 16 at midnight...here's hoping the skinny is revealed!

New York has a variety of culture and whatever you desire, this city can satisfy you. The one unique talent New York has that no other city has is Robin Byrd. A night at The Robin Byrd Show Live will arouse you in many ways. So come on down to The Cutting Room in NYC (44 East 32nd Street, between Park Avenue and Madison Avenue). Click here for tickets!

Symphony of Shadows: Brilliantly Executed

"Symphony of Shadows" is a show that will stay with me for years to come! One of the best performance pieces I have seen in a while, "Symphony of Shadows" combined elements of circus and aerial arts, dance and movement, burlesque and operatic productions.

"Symphony of Shadows" brilliantly executed its story of a woman who suffers from sleep disorders, phantasmagorical night terrors, hypnotic horrors, and other visually stunning conjurings from the subconscious depths of her own disturbed mind.

Created and directed by Rachel Klein, founder of Rachel Klein Theater Ensemble, "Symphony of Shadows" is a show that everyone can relate to, especially with it's universal theme of sleep disorders. The show took the audience on a journey of a woman who had to maneuver through her life while suffering from various sleep disorders. The show perfectly demonstrated how sleepless nights affect our waking hours, especially the time spent at work. From someone who has had his own share of sleepless nights, I easily identified with what this woman was going through. One of the worst sounds a person can hear after a sleepless night is the ringing of an alarm clock signaling it's time to wake up.

"Symphony of Shadows" Aerial Witch, Photo Credit: Michael Blase"Symphony of Shadows" Boys, Photo Credit: Michael BlaseRachel was very smart to use multi-style movement performance styles to push this story along. The way she differeniated between daytime and nighttime was very well thought out. The extremely talented cast of performers engulfed the audience with their artistry. Cheers and applause were heard throughout the night after each scene was over. In addition to the story and performers, the costumes were terrific! They really added to the telling of this story.

Dixon Place was a great place to mount "Symphony of Shadows" because it really allowed me to feel part of the show. It gave me a perfect view of the artistry at hand, one that I would not have had in a bigger venue. There were so many details throughout this show, I was very happy to be able to experience it in an intimate setting.

Cast of "Symphony of Shadows", Photo Credit: Michael Blase"Symphony of Shadows" is more than show, it's truly a spectacular! If you are looking for an evening of great story-telling through multi-genre performance arts then I would highly recommend "Symphony of Shadows" which runs through June 23 at Dixon Place in NYC (161A Chrystie Street). Click here for tickets!