I’m finally back in Toronto, but I’m not done talking about New York, because my last night in that city exposed me to one of its greatest performance secrets (at least to non-New Yorkers): Fuerza Bruta: Look Up. It’s a thrilling, sexy, violent, and utterly engrossing piece of acrobatic and theatrical artistry that makes Cirque du Soleil look like tea with your bubbie. Just look at the promo video they’ve created.
The audience stands through the whole show, and is directed around a series of set pieces that are moved in and out of the space. The performers engage directly with the audience. At the climax of the show, a giant plexiglass-bottomed pool is lowered inches above the audience and performers dance, slide and wrestle right over us. Audience members are invited to touch the pool, and performers reach out to the audience, communicate, and flirt with their guests. Imagine this sexy performer kissing you through the glass for an idea of what I’m talking about:
The best part of the show is that it hosts monthly “Boys Nights” called “Boys In The Pool”, which highlight the sexy male performers in the show. Gays turn out in force for the show, and combined with the interactive, dancey nature of the show, the sexy, flirty vibe extends to the audience. At the end, when the whole theatre turns into a bit of a dance club complete with DJ and wet bar, the transition to gay party is complete. The next Boys Night is Sept 26 at 10pm — schedule your next visit to New York accordingly.
If you can’t afford a trip right now but are craving a taste of someplace different, you could do worse than the free bagel giveaways that Tourism Montreal are sponsoring tomorrow in downtown TO. Gay lifestyle blogger Daniel Baylis will be giving away 9,000 Montreal bagels at six locations in the core from 7:30am to 1:30pm. More info on his blog.
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