Guilty Pleasure

(first in a series)

U Betcha! eX-posed!
Hamel Road Theatre Project
Intermedia Arts

I'll admit it. I own more Backstreet Boys CD's than a thirtysomething man - gay or straight - probably should. And in my weaker moments, I think Justin Timberlake is kinda cute. No one would mistake that brand of pop as groundbreaking or original, but, hey, it's not meant to be. If I'm still mystified by house music, techno, showtunes and Barbara Streisand, boybands are where I yield to my gay gene and my hormones.

This fake group is, in the words of their head honcho Ryan North, "talented enough to maybe be real, and just bad enough to confuse people." And while I'll admit that a parody of boy bands almost seems redundant (they are all, on some level, self-parody anyway), U Betcha has had a loyal (nay, rabid) following since 2001 for a reason. This spoof, spawned at the Bryant Lake Bowl and taken on the road in several directions, is just plain fun, and funny. You don't inspire an extended sold out run, remounts, and audience members making their own T-shirts and tattoos (among other paraphenalia) just by virtue of being cute and being able to carry a tune. Not if you're a fake band. You've gotta be bringing some actual entertainment value to the table. Think of it as the theatrical equivalent of chocolate - sure it's not exactly nutritious, but you know you want some.

And though I've managed to resist their pull up to now, just barely, it's the Fringe. And exchanging email with Ryan about the show, I sense that they have their hearts and sense of irony in the right place, and tongues all firmly in cheek. And they've added Greta Grosch to the mix as an entertainment tabloid TV hostess putting the group through the fame-whore ringer. In my opinion, the inclusion of Greta alone, in any show, is reason enough to go. I know I'm gonna laugh my butt off.

So, what the hell, stop resisting. Give in and go see a very different group of boys in the band.

(For more of my writing - plays, past blog entries and more - visit www.matthewaeverett.com)