Review: The Skivvies Debut Fun Frolic FILM STRIPS at Joe's Pub

On July 14th, two rounds of rabid fans filled the room and filled the seats of Joe’s Pub for a special occasion: a new Skivvies show.  The Skivvies are one of the most popular live music acts in the industry, and their devoted followers are always on tap for one of their shows, but a new Skivvies show means more than new guest stars and more than new lingerie; it means new chances at the impeccable and inventive Skivvies arrangements, treatments, and mash-ups.  And this new show promised to be particularly bright, as indicated by the show’s title, FILM STRIPS - SONGS FROM THE MOVIES THAT CHANGED OUR LIVES.  Who doesn’t love a theme show, especially when the theme is movies and movie music?  And one of the most fun parts of going to see an artist’s (or artists’) movie music theme show is that the music and the movies will be that which resonates with them.  Now, take a moment to imagine what that set list would like for The Skivvies.   Yeah, that’s right.  It was nothing but fun, from start to finish, most of it originating from the Eighties, a decade in film, television, and music that was all about fun.  So those audience members who braved a night full of rain to check out FILM STRIPS got exactly what they hoped for: classic Skivvies and classic fun.

Introduced by two beauties, Nicole Kidman and Jacklynn Hyde, Nick Cearley and Lauren Molina joined their (*soon to be) equally un-clad band members to set up the evening’s premise and kick things off with two of their customary mash-ups.  (*Those who have attended Skivvies shows will remember that the cast starts each performance clothed but remedies the situation quickly enough during their opening number.)  Right out of the gate, Lauren and Nick confirmed everyone’s suspicions about their setlist for the night.  Just take a look at the two photos below to get the full picture.

That’s right - any show that jump-starts with a medley of songs from Risky Business and Adventures in Babysitting is heading in a certain direction.  There was to be no Michel Legrand, no Johnny Mercer, no Marilyn and Alan Bergman here: we were in the land of crunchy hair, giant sunglasses, and flashdance necklines over quarterback shoulder pads.  And the 7 pm audience was ready for it.  With Debbie Tjong on Piano, Sonny Ratcliff on Drums, and Ben Golder-Novick on Saxophone (and with Demi Agapitos's wonderful slides over their heads) Nick and Lauren had the perfect combo to re-create music from Beverly Hills Cop and Top Gun, some beloved animated features, and even some iconic TV shows.  The show being made up of a collection of material that was completely new to them, Molina and Cearley had their eyes peeled firmly on their sheet music as they delivered practiced and perfect performances of these spectacular arrangements, voices ringing into the rafters in intricate harmonies, and heads thrown back in gales of laughter.  This new program of music is right on their street, and that’s because Nick and Lauren don’t just know who they are and what their style is - they know what their fans want, and this new set fits the bill.  The Skivvies have, clearly, done their homework here, and it pays off.

For example, imagine the effort that must have gone into a complicated medley of shark-themed songs designed to fit the Lesli Margherita number honoring the fiftieth anniversary of Jaws?   Equally impressive was a massive medley of Saturday morning cartoon songs for the forever-youthful (and appropriately attired) Andrew Keenan-Bolger.  And while romcoms, sitcoms, and regular coms may have dominated the evening, The Skivvies and Andy Mientus could not deny the popularity of horror movies, hence the medley of Friday-themed songs built to match the Jason Voorhees costume sported by Mr. Mientus.   This is why we need Skivvies shows - we need fun.  We need laughter.  The musicianship is always excellent, and the not-so-whitie-tighties are always enjoyable, but we all go to see Molina and Cearley in action because they make us feel good, they fill our hearts with joy, and our minds with memories mostly happy (Nick was quick to mention that he has some animal-based PTSD from watching The Neverending Story as a kid, and don’t we all), but with The Skivvies and their guest artists, it’s always about having a good time, always about comedy and camaraderie.  Just look at the silliness in the photo of Jordan Kai Burnett and The Skivvies, as they recreate a moment from Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion. 

And then there is Erik Altemus dressed as a very important character seen in the opening credits of Look Who’s Talking… come on, now.  It’s just about getting together with friends on one side of the stage and having fun for the benefit of the friends on the other side of the stage.  It was particularly amazing to have Nora Schell come out and take us all to church with her number from Shrek, alone worth the price of admission, and to hear Bonnie Milligan say, out loud, what all of us kids from the Eighties have known all these years, that Troop Beverly Hills rocks.  The Shelley Long tribute medley was hi-ho-larious.

Another tribute that brought the hilarity was the Sally Struthers segment of FILM STRIPS.  In a genius move, Nick and Lauren took the script from one of Miss Struthers’ TV commercials for higher education and put the words to music.  There is now a song version of Sally’s commercial, which The Skivvies performed immediately after running the TV ad, and immediately before calling the number used in the ad… (it rang and rang, but there was no answer).  This was a moment of brilliance commenting on pop culture through the creation of art, parody, and tribute to a great American actress, completely side-splitting and thoroughly in keeping with the Skivvies style from all these years.  But that’s Lauren Molina and Nick Cearley for you - they are never anything but original, innovative, creative, and a (scantily-clad) barrel of laughs, and thank goodness, too.   It was this writer’s pleasure to be among the first to see this new outing because new art must be created, it must be supported, and it must be seen.  This is a show I would see again, and I suspect a lot of people will feel the same way.

Find great shows to see on the Joe’s Pub website HERE.

Visit The Skivvies website HERE.

Photos by Stephen Mosher