Chlamydia dell’Arte: A Sex-Ed Burlesque

The Baldacchino Gypsy Tent Bar – at Fort Fringe
607 New York Ave, NW

Remaining Performances:

Sunday, July 18, 4:45 p.m.
Thursday, July 22, 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, July 24, 10:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 25,  1:00 p.m.

They Say: “This ain’t your mama’s sex ed! Join two bawdy broads from Philadelphia to learn about safe sex, masturbation, sexual orientation, and transsexual grandmothers through striptease, fan dancing, and other classic burlesque elements. Come for the titillation, stay for the education!”

Adam’s Take: Perhaps this is the quintessential Fringe performance.  Gigi Naglak and Meghann Williams to take full advantage of the idiom’s loose strictures, presenting a dozen short vignettes — undeniably campy yet unexpectedly original — to advocate for comprehensive sex education.  Their production combines the racy, raunchy, and outlandish with some truly thought-provoking moments.  The most meaningful of these are snippets of video interviews with several women who speak with candor and humor about their own experiences.  What unfolds on the stage is fun, but has the potential to resonate at a deeper, more emotional level for some.

From puppetry to stand up comedy to song and dance, almost no medium is left untouched.  Even a beloved scene from Shakespeare receives a riveting new interpretation. Interposed throughout are two elderly yet by no means stuffy sex-ed teachers who weave the show’s strands together, emphasizing the message of comprehensive sex education that Naglak and Williams are all about.  This “sex-ed burlesque” class probably won’t make it into a school anytime soon.  To Naglak and Williams, the answer seems to be to take their class out of the school and straight to the people.

See It If: You refuse to believe that there is ever more than one way to teach a sex-ed class.

Skip It If: You still have nightmares from having watched The Rocky Horror Picture Show on your high school class trip to Florida.