Salt Lake Acting Company does a smash-up job of “F”ing the ineffable in its annual fund-raiser, Saturday’s Voyeur.
Bendover: A Tale of Two Cities, written by Allen Nevins and Nancy Borgenicht, is this year’s brilliant incarnation of the play, which has been produced for the past 28 years. If anything about Utah’s peculiar culture ever made you grunt, grimace or grin wickedly, it’s a parody not to be missed.
Bendover is a highly blasphemous and democratic story about what might happen if Wendover, Utah, were incorporated into its sister city in Nevada. The different factions fight over who will control the proposed city, and the action really heats up as we see who has the most at stake and whose secrets are threatened to be revealed.
As always, there are side-splitting songs which cover all the most controversial issues of today and, with glorious irreverence, poke fun at some local issues as well. In fine casino tradition, we are graced with a chorus of Elvises in a meat locker resulting in such classic lines as “I’m not a ‘ma’am,’ I’m a ‘Madame’!” and “These boobs are made for workin’.”
The cast is filled with vibrant characters-some of them nearly caricatures of the stereotypes familiar to all Utahns. An exaggerated Utah accent is a clever device used to set apart the LDS characters from their heathen counterparts, which draws some knowing chuckles. A very irate mob “problem solver,” sent up from Las Vegas to handle things for his family’s interests, is the only one who is more obviously displeased with his current location than the baby-faced Elder, who falls for the Madame’s daughter, and his companion, who embodies the standard repressed-homosexual missionary. With a man playing a nun and a woman playing a meat deliveryman, humor only gains momentum as we are introduced to each of these colorful folks.
Intermission comes too soon, but is a much needed rest from such raucous laughter and a good chance to turn around and give the laughing hyena behind you a good, long dose of the stink-eye.
Saturday’s Voyeur is done in a cabaret style, and bringing food and drinks is encouraged.
Bendover: A Tale of Two Cities runs through Aug. 20. For ticket prices and show times, call (801) 363-7522 or visit: http://www.saltlakeactingcompany.org.
Heartbreak Mo-tel, Rock H. White and the Meat Locker Elvises take a trip to the city of sin-Bendover, Utah/Nev.