I’m the first to admit I’m stubborn, loathe to change. Everything, from my phone to my vehicle to my personal digital assistant, is a little, well, let’s just say someone once remarked that I was the newest thing in my apartment. I’d be terrible at marketing, in other words, and I would never have thought of what the Jungle Theater hosted last night to get people in the door to see K2 on an otherwise sleepy Tuesday: Singles Night.
The place was packed. And though the average age didn’t vary much from any other theater performance (mid-40s, mostly women), you could tell most weren’t there by coincidence when one of the actors onstage cried, “Is this going to be a love story? Christ!” and the audience roared its cynical empathy. That, and the fact that the first five minutes of the show were blanketed with cell phones and PDAs going off–messages from Match.com? But if you could get past such overheard gems as the 40-something woman bemoaning/bragging about her recent 24-year-old conquest (“The first time he mistakes me for his mom, I’m gonna freak!”), you could see the genius here. I’m not single, but I know that the theater is still mostly the province of couples on dates, and this is a great way to get around it. Plus, free tapas and drink specials at JP’s afterward–and hey, you’ve got a readymade topic to talk about (assuming you were watching the play, not your fellow patrons).
Elsewhere: David Sedaris tix went on sale at 10 a.m. this morn; I love/hate him the way I do “This American Life”–is he still cool or have we heard enough? Tickets for the Walker’s “Evening with Francis Ford Coppola”–another sure sell-out–go on sale May 8.
My weekend pick: Fringe favorites No Refunds Theatre performing “Great Moments in Kung Fu Theatre History” starting May 4 at Intermedia Arts and featuring snippets from “classic” films like “West Side Fury.” These guys’ tagline is “Your money is now ours.” I suggest you make it true.
p.s. I’m not going to tell you what to give your mom for Mother’s Day, but you can now get gift certificates good for numerous theaters via the Ivey Awards people, for $25, at www.IveyAwards.com.
