East Coast denizens with a vested interest in skewering outmoded models of masculinity ought to check out this intimate and incisive production at the Paradise Factory on 64 E. 4th Street in Manhattan.
The All-American Genderfuck Cabaret, written by Mariah MacCarthy and directed by Heidi Handelsman, takes gender stereotypes—tomboy, slut, man-hating lesbian, girlie girl, player, bro, sensitive guy, gay best friend, and a none-of-the-above—and barrages them with seismic true-to-life disturbances to explode the idea of gender as a black-and-white (or blue-and-pink) construct, and to show the flesh, blood, fear, and joy these “types” are made of.
The show symbolizes masculinity and femininity with a loose-fitting suit and a hoop skirt, swapped among the cast, tried on and discarded. It takes aim at the disguises we don to fit into a particular mold. These cultural scripts run the gamut from pathetic and laughable (the guys’ bro banter) to rife with grave consequences (a rape occurs when a dance and make-out session gets misconstrued for sexual consent).
The subjects are hard not to root for, even as the script, candid and profane, gets uncomfortably personal with each one. Lively, charming, and often flat-out hilarious, the show is, ultimately, an empowering project for men, women, and every nonbinary in-between.
Performances: April 22, 26, 28, 30 at 8 p.m.; April 23, 24 at 2 p.m. Get tickets here.
I have been blessed as an actor to be a part of this project – something so multi-dimensional. The worst service you could render yourself is to not see this show or take advantage of Mariah’s offer to give it to you to read! Then judge all you want! I’m sure it would be welcomed. When we did a reading of the play a couple years back, we had an open discussion after. The audience raised questions,concerns, things that moved them, pissed them off, offended them. The actor’s gave their feelings on the characters they were reading. We all left… Read more »
You were wonderful in the show. Thanks for weighing in!
Love you Hennessy. TITS AND ASS ALL THE WAY.
Question.
Is there by chance some place to see a recording of the performance or (not as great but better than nothing) getting a script of the play to read?
Hi Danny! There will probably not be a recording (Actors’ Equity has all kinds of hoops that need to be jumped through to make a recording happen) but I’d be happy to send you a script! Just shoot an email to [email protected] and I’ll send you the script back. Thanks so much!
Email request sent! Can’t wait to read it.
Johnny B. – I think you’ve misunderstood the point of the show. As the review says, some of the actions of some of the characters in the show are pathetic and laughable, and one of the characters rapes another character. (As a comparison: In real life, some people do things that are pathetic and laughable, and some people commit rape.) To extrapolate from those parts of Genderf*ck’s plot that the playwright is trying to communicate that “all straight men are pathetic and laughable” or “all straight men are rapists” is to ignore one of the central messages of the show,… Read more »
SecondBeach: Thank you for remembering, and for your kind words! Did we know each other at Skidmore?
Not personally, I was an underclassman when I went to go see Genderf*ck I just remember the show kicking ass and your name being attached to it. Congratulations!
thank you so much!
Johnny B, I welcome you to attend or give the script a read and give me your input!! Straight men have actually been some of this show’s biggest advocates so I would welcome your insight!
“…pathetic and laughable (the guys’ bro banter)…”
“(a rape occurs when a dance and make-out session gets misconstrued for sexual consent)”
So, men are pathetic and laughable and they rape women after misinterpreting or ignoring consent. Sounds like the radical feminist propaganda machine in full swing. They might as well put out a sign saying “straight men not welcome”. Great show, though, if you’re an angry feminist looking for validation.
Have you seen it, Johnny_B? Or are you basing your very wrong opinion on a 4-paragraph review? You might want to take Mariah’s offer (below) to read or see it. Because you’re wrong about her and her play.
This play actually does a great job of portraying 3 dimensional characters that are simultaneously flawed, sympathetic and complex. I must assume that you have not seen Genderf*ck Cabaret yourself, Johnny B, because I have a hard time believing that anyone who had would be subject to such gross misinterpretation. The story line you are specifically referring to actually suggests that consent and desire are both subjective (both parties’ interpretations of the events leading up to the rape) and complicated (consent is not fixed and concrete, but can evolve over the course of an evening or encounter). All-American Genderf*ck Cabaret… Read more »
Go Mariah! So psyched she finding such success in Manahattan. When the playwright, Mariah MacCarthy, was an undergrad at Skidmore College, she wrote and put on this play with a cast of students in a studio above the theater. It was a great show when I saw it then and I’m sure it’s a great show now.