Naked Boys Singing!

A filmed version of the long-running off Broadway musical. It has 10 handsome talented guys singing and dancing while totally nude about being gay. I saw this twice live. First was in 2003 in NYC. I hated it. Then I saw a restaged version of it in PTown in 2012 and LOVED it! The songs are OK. Some are bad--"Robert Mitchum" and "Muscle Addiction" were dreadful--but most were good. Two favorites were "Gratuitous Nudity" and "Perky Little Porn Star". Also the guys are not all white boys--there's a black, latino and Asian guy in the cast too. Kudos to the cast for having no inhibitions to performing totally nude. That can't be easy. Fun and entertaining. Not rated but it would probably get an R or NC-17 for the non-stop full frontal male nudity. Only debit--some bad direction lessens some of the numbers.

I'm writing this as I watch the DVD. I grabbed for the laptop and went to IMDb during the first song. I didn't know anything about the movie except that a friend said that the show was supposed to be good. It has a decent Netflix rating too, so here I am.

Maybe on the stage this worked. But I have to say that the sight of chorus boys dancing and singing completely naked just seems silly. And the lip syncing to a prerecorded score adds to the strangeness.

Most of the songs and routines are about aspects of male nudity. This is my idea of nothing, sorry. The score, so far, is generic show tune music. Nothing memorable, or particularly melodic. Everything is to serve the lyrics. Which, I have to say, sound like they were written by a committee. Each song is essentially one extended joke. If the jokes were ten seconds, they might work. These single several-minute-long jokes don't.

I'm now watching the movie by chapters--a few minutes until I get the gist. Kind of in the hopes that one of them will be different, or entertaining enough to keep me from going on to the next scene. Nope.

Okay. I'm finished. So here's what I think. If you have any experience or long-standing appreciation of musical theater, avoid this--it's just not quality. If, however, you're a gay twenty-something and have never seen or heard a musical comedy, you might be entertained. Or maybe this would hold your interest if you've never seen a lot of attractive naked men. I have.

What surprised me the most about this filmed stage production was the splendid variety in the musical numbers. The dancing is professional. Each dance is well choreographed. The vocals are entertaining, and pleasant to listen to. All numbers are done with heart and humor. This was truly a unique experience. I'm surprised at the arrogant remarks posted in other IMDb reviews. I found Naked Boys Singing highly enjoyable and fresh. Just look at the expression on the audiences faces. These talented guys offer a good sock in the jaw to convention. Intelligence and humor are the threads that hold this production together. Cheers and applause to all involved.

I don't understand how a reviewer can complain that a show has show tunes. With a name like "Naked Boys Singing" did he expect a Western? I suppose it could be called "Naked Boys Singing and Dancing". For what it was, which is exactly what it purports to be, I thought it was terrific. Some of the songs and situations were quite moving to me, having experienced some of the situations myself. It was very touching to have a chorus of "I feel so alone" - the fact of the chorus indicates that perhaps we weren't as alone as we felt.

I found the Perky Little Porn Star to be adorable. I suppose I did object the tiniest bit to the ode to "regular guys" who were not so totally buffed out from the gym sung by these totally buffed out guys, but they gave it their best shot. Dancer's bodies, what're you gonna do?

All in all a lot of fun.

This film is a taped showing of a musical which features naked men dancing and singing about men and gay related issues.

Maybe it is because I did not even know about this show, I was pleasantly surprised by it. I was entertained throughout. I especially liked "Fight the Urge", "Jack's Song" and "Perky Little Porn Star" which featured very funny lyrics and hilarious performances. I think the lyrics are witty, and they certainly put effort in to make the lyrics rhyme. "Window To Window" is another good song as it captures yearning for intimacy very well. Others have criticised the miming, but I think it's OK, as they have not attempted to hide this fact.

I think "Naked Boys Singing" deserves more praise, as I was entertained by such a good performance. Let's not forget that takes a lot of courage to perform on stage naked.