KC Fringe "Rumble in the City" review by watchNwrite

More than just Nearly-Naked

Rating: 5

Rumble in the City

KC Fringe Festival

    "A Rumble in the City" lived up to…every inch…of the expectation built around it. Rarely did the audience see a dull or disappointing moment on Friday, the 22nd; in fact, between the hooting, clapping, and laughing, boredom was a distant memory.
       First, the opening number was a hilarious dance homage to West Side Story's shark's vs. jets dance number. Never did a simple headpiece work in the exact way a director wanted it to. The energy was high, the dancing was on-the-mark, and the commitment to the joke was a huge relief for anybody who has sat through a half-committed burlesque show.
       The individual numbers were not "individual" at all. The show had no solo numbers, but instead, it exhibited 2 or more people onstage at any time. The highlights of the show consisted of the following: "Anything you can do, I can do better," "Snake Charmers," and "Do Bad Things to You."
       The redneck nature of "Anything you can do, I can do better" was beyond pleasurable. The boys in this number were specifically valuable to its comedy – most notably, Freddy Ramrod Mercury. The fact that they took the time to re-write the entire song to fit their needs means BDU takes removing clothes very seriously.
       The comedy of "Snake Charmers," again, was made by the men - and rightfully so - the girls had sexiness on their side, so the guys needed something with which to combat. The instrumental talents of these performers made this number so much more than a number where someone merely takes off his or her clothing (don't get it wrong; that happened, too), but the addition of the musical instruments was wonderful. Not to mention, the banter as the performers headed offstage kept the audience laughing well into the transition.
       "Do Bad Things to You" was a 3 women vs. 1 man dance number.  And by "dance number," it is meant to give serious compliments to the male dancer. Dancing is clearly his forte, and he only merely happens to be nearly-naked by the end of the dance. Overall, this number was enjoyable, but the clothes-removal was slightly overrun by the technical dance training showcased in it – which is great. Additionally, hats off to the choreographer(s) for producing something that was not only sexy, but also substantial.
     The competitive numbers between Ivory and her partner (apologies for not catching his name) must not be forgotten, though. What is most memorable about this partnership is the smoothness and togetherness exhibited by Ivory and the dry wit of her male counterpart. These two were excellently-matched; however, during their last number, eyes could not be torn from Ivory for a second – after all, she was very good at what she did.
     It is strongly suggested that this be a burlesque show that is highly viewed during this Fringe Festival. The entertainment value is off the charts, and no one will leave disappointed – sexuality, taste, and frivolity-level all taken into consideration. $10. (Plus $5 if you don't have the button.) It's well worth it because sex is selling for cheap this summer.