By Indra Hernandez
Sometimes it’s just not about the wedding planning. Sometimes, you just need to have an excuse to reconnect as a couple with your special someone and have a great date night. Well recently, a venue that we absolutely love, The Long Center, had a very funny and risqué show featured on their schedule. And what better way to keep it spicy with your fiancé and also have some great big laughs at the same time.
I was invited to not only come out and enjoy the beautiful Long Center, but also take in a show. So if you’ve never heard about the wildly popular series of “Fifty Shades of Grey” novels, well, you must have been living under a rock for the past couple of years. Lol.
The parody to this wildly popular novel absolutely provides the “laugh out loud” type of good time for the perfect date night. Whether or not the book has been read, “Spank!” delivers a great combination of a cheesy (but comical) soap opera-like performance and hilarious variations of several beloved theater melodies, it’s impossible to keep from laughing. People may have arrived to the event with a pre-conceived notion of what to expect, but after a couple of cocktails and witty performances by the three characters of the show, the crowd left feeling surprising “spanked.”
The show gets rolling with the introduction of the author, E.B. Janet, who decides she is going to write this book to release her sexual fantasies while her family is away for the weekend. Feeling inspired after polishing off a bottle of Chardonnay, her story-writing begins out loud. She begins with the creation of her two characters: Tasha Woode and Hugh Hanson (how appropriate!).
Tasha is a naïve, simple English Literature college student with her one significant flaw of clumsiness which turns out to work in her favor. Her love interest and other character, Hugh, is introduced as he catches Tasha before tripping and falling; thus, the lustrous romance story begins.
Hugh is an attractive and poised billionaire with a secretive past that becomes quite intrigued with Tasha as he learns she is still a virgin. Hugh wastes no time securing his love interest and has a drawn-out S-and-M contract ready for her approval and soon after the steamy relationship begins to unravel.
Sexual insinuations were prompted with commonly used items such as a toothbrush, a tie, and even mouthwash. Musical spoofs that came from such works as Willy Wonka’s “World of Imagination” and Enrique Iglesias’ “Hero” were implemented quite nicely into the scene sequences involving Hugh’s “red” room (where all the magic happens!). The show’s jokingly references to well-known characters like “Tim ‘The Toolman’ Tailor” and Batman still seemed to stimulate a playful arousal from the audience.
Some of the best moments from the show, in my opinion, were the moments when Tasha interacted with members in the audience of the first row. Tasha sets the scene to take place at the OBGYN’s office and proceeds to ask the doctor (random audience member), in his/her professional opinion, an acceptable item size to be used for sexual pleasures. Of course, with unscripted answers, the character has to improvise and keep the script going and she didn’t miss a beat as laughter filled the arena.
So if you’re interested in seeing a great show, or just trying to get away from all the stresses of wedding planning, make sure you take your sweetie out on the town and find this show in the next nearest city.
The Long Center has quite a great schedule of other upcoming shows and I highly encourage you to take in a show. Who knows, you might be able to kill two birds with one stone and possibly find your wedding venue as well. It truly is a gorgeous space.
Twilight time before the show begins at The Long Center.
The crowd is getting excited.
Yes, guys even came out to enjoy this scandalous show.
Don’t forget, this space is also a wedding venue.
Did someone say, “Cocktail hour?”
Sunset and a couple at The Long Center.
