The Deep Throat Sex Scandal

For the first time, I got to attend my first opening night of an Off-Broadway show.  Now no, I'm not actually in the show but it was still pretty exciting to be a part of it.  Although I have to say, what I imagined in my head, wasn't quite how the whole thing turned out.  But, I still had a great time and got to see and interesting new show that could be the next Off-Broadway hit.

I guess because deals with the film that brought the world "porn chic", I was expecting to see a lot of old school adult film stars in attendance.  Either they didn't show or I just didn't recognize anyone because I don't know of any of them being there.  Plus the stars of the original Deep Throat, Harry Reems and Linda Lovelace, have either moved on from the business or passed away.

Speaking of Reems and Lovelace, the play's action features them both with Reems acting as the narrator.  We meet them at the start of their careers.  Reems (Malcolm Medera) is an actor working in way Off-Broadway plays and trying to make a living and Lovelace (Lori Gardner) is brought in to the adult film world by her abusive husband, Chuck Traynor (Zach Wegner).

The first act of the play deals with Linda and Harry meeting each other and how they both came to be a part of the film that would change their lives.  We also meet Gerard Damiano (John-Charles Kelly), the Queens hairdresser who directed the film.  Aside from those three characters, I'm not sure if any of the other characters are actually real people or just based on them.  Anyway, we also learn that the film was originally a flop before a Tennessee prosecutor decided to have 60 people, including Reems, arrested and tried on obscenity charges.

Act Two focuses on the trial and the defense's attempts to proclaim first amendment rights to protect the subject matter of the film.  As the narrator, of course, the focus is on Reems and what he is going through in trying to stay out of prison.

As a whole, the play is an entertaining "history" lesson.  Deep Throat and its trial were all events that occurred before I was born so, it was interesting to see what happened.  Malcolm Madera and Lori Gardner were both great as Harry and Linda.  In fact, one of my biggest gripes was that Linda all but disappears in the second act.  I realize that she wasn't part of the trial but, I wish they could have found a way to use her more.

My only gripe with the overall good cast was that John-Charles Kelly, the actor who plays director Damiano and attorney Alan Dershowitz, is almost indistinguishable in the two roles.  He was the same character just in different clothes and hair.

Also, I could have done without the the play's beating me over the head with its first amendment preachiness and thought it was pushing it a bit to claim that the film paved the way for every envelope pushing form of entertainment since,  even going so far as to have cast members listing off the names of film and television shows.

More on the positive side though, the costumes by Jeffrey Wallach were great in evoking that 70's porn vibe.  Also, the use of lights and video (designed by Graham Kindred and A2K Productions, respectively) really helped the look of the overall production.

The show may not be perfect but, it was fun to see.  I liked how David Bertolino and Jerry Douglas (the playwright and director) decided to play up the comic levels of the play instead of just trying for drama.  I think the humor and the cast are what save the show from being the total mess that it could have become when dealing with what still seems as a bit of a taboo subject.

Until next time...