Arts on 9th is a new facility in Ybor City, featuring a theater, art gallery, photography studio and shop. It’s a welcome addition to the Bay area scene, which ought to have 20 such spaces. But the first play offered there — Bathhouse: The Musical by Tim Evanicki and Esther Daack — is far from impressive.
Treating gay life as if it had no reality outside the sexual, it’s essentially an evening of soft porn, of real and metaphorical crotch-grabbing with songs titled “Penises are like Snowflakes” and “Clicking for Dick.” The irony is that the four onstage performers — Toph McRae, Jason Crase, Alexander Ferguson and Christopher McCabe — are expert singer/dancers, and a few of the show’s songs feature attractive melodies and thrilling harmonies.
But again and again, the lyrics aren’t much better than what you’d find on a bathroom
This article appears in Jun 17-23, 2009.