The Dirtiest Show in Town
Encyclopedia
The Dirtiest Show in Town is a musical
revue
with a book and lyrics by Tom Eyen
and music by Jeff Barry
.
An attack on both air pollution
, the Vietnam War
, urban blight and computerized conformity, it is filled with sex, nudity, and strong lesbian
and gay
male characters, and culminates in a massive orgy
with the entire naked cast writhing on the floor. What distinguishes it from a raunchy sex show is Eyen's clever dialogue and witty observations, which impressed even mainstream critics when it first was staged near the end of the sexual revolution that started in the 1960s.
Directed by Eyen, The Dirtiest Show in Town opened on June 27, 1970 at the off-Broadway
Astor Place Theatre
, where it ran for 509 performances. It subsequently toured and then was staged at the West End
's Duchess Theatre
, where it ran for nearly 800 performances. In 1975, Eyen and Henry Krieger
put together a version called The Dirtiest Musical in Town starring Nell Carter
.http://www.thevillager.com/villager_198/oscardreaming.html
In 1980, Eyen directed a film version of the play for the cable TV network Showtime, making it the first "made for cable TV" movie ever produced. The updated storyline for this film version revolves around members of a New York City gym obsessing about their life situations, eventually leading up to the gay and straight characters writhing together in an orgy. It starred Eyen's muse Sharon Barr and a young John Wesley Shipp
.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1693971/
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
revue
Revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
with a book and lyrics by Tom Eyen
Tom Eyen
Tom Eyen was an American playwright, lyricist, television writer and theatre director.Eyen is best known for works at opposite ends of the theatrical spectrum...
and music by Jeff Barry
Jeff Barry
Jeff Barry is an American pop music songwriter, singer, and record producer.-Early career:...
.
An attack on both air pollution
Air pollution
Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or cause damage to the natural environment or built environment, into the atmosphere....
, the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, urban blight and computerized conformity, it is filled with sex, nudity, and strong lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
and gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
male characters, and culminates in a massive orgy
Orgy
In modern usage, an orgy is a sex party where guests engage in promiscuous or multifarious sexual activity or group sex. An orgy is similar to debauchery, which refers to excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures....
with the entire naked cast writhing on the floor. What distinguishes it from a raunchy sex show is Eyen's clever dialogue and witty observations, which impressed even mainstream critics when it first was staged near the end of the sexual revolution that started in the 1960s.
Directed by Eyen, The Dirtiest Show in Town opened on June 27, 1970 at the off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
Astor Place Theatre
Astor Place Theatre
The Astor Place Theatre is an off-Broadway house located at 434 Lafayette Street in the NoHo section of Manhattan. The theater is located in the historic Colonnade Row, originally constructed in 1831 as a series of nine connected buildings, of which only four remain...
, where it ran for 509 performances. It subsequently toured and then was staged at the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
's Duchess Theatre
Duchess Theatre
The Duchess Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, London, located in Catherine Street, near Aldwych.The theatre opened on 25 November 1929 and is one of the smallest 'proscenium arched' West End theatres. It has 479 seats on two levels....
, where it ran for nearly 800 performances. In 1975, Eyen and Henry Krieger
Henry Krieger
Henry Krieger is an American composer.Krieger wrote the music for the Broadway shows Dreamgirls , The Tap Dance Kid , and Side Show , as well as other works of musical theatre.He was nominated for the Tony Awards for Best Score for both Dreamgirls and Side Show, won a Grammy...
put together a version called The Dirtiest Musical in Town starring Nell Carter
Nell Carter
Nell Carter was an American singer, and film, stage, and television actress. She won a Tony Award for her performance in the Broadway musical Ain't Misbehavin, as well as an Emmy Award for her reprisal of the role on television...
.http://www.thevillager.com/villager_198/oscardreaming.html
In 1980, Eyen directed a film version of the play for the cable TV network Showtime, making it the first "made for cable TV" movie ever produced. The updated storyline for this film version revolves around members of a New York City gym obsessing about their life situations, eventually leading up to the gay and straight characters writhing together in an orgy. It starred Eyen's muse Sharon Barr and a young John Wesley Shipp
John Wesley Shipp
John Wesley Shipp is an American actor best known as Mitch Leery, the title character's father on the television drama Dawson's Creek from 1998 to 2001 and for roles in several daytime soap operas...
.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1693971/