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Promising (and delivering) gratuitous nudity.

Thursday Feb 10, 2005.     By Keith Ecker

Theater Feed

Continuing its four-year streak at the Bailiwick, "Naked Boys Singing!" continues to flash its junk onstage, much to audiences' delight. The all-male, all-nude song and dance production has taken its act across the country; though the faces (and other parts) may change, the memorable tongue-in-cheek tunes stay the same.

First and foremost, "Naked Boys Singing!" shouldn't be written off as a raunchy cabaret show that guarantees viewers more than a glimpse of the male member. Of course the eight men who parade across the stage spend the majority of time in character…but out of costume. Still, there's more to the show than a all-out flesh fest. The production offers a buffet of quirky humor, engaging choreography and, of course, singing. Even with clothes on, these men would be a chorus to be reckoned with.

The ensemble show unfolds with each song. The opening tune, "Gratuitous Nudity," offers just what it advertises, as the whole cast prances around top and bottomless singing an intro song that welcomes the audience to a nearly two-hour romp of male horseplay.

The jokes don't just lie in the lack of undies. Most songs incorporate the type of blue humor one would expect at a review that includes a number called, "Perky Little Porn Star." The production could be considered the male version of "The Vagina Monologues." But it's not only about the boys: It's about the boys who like the boys.

Although a big hit among bachelorette parties and girls' nights out, "Naked Boys Singing!" largely caters to the gay male audience. Nearly every number acts out some form of gay fantasy such as "Pizza Boy," in which a group of "heterosexual" guys playing poker are suddenly overtaken by the pizza boy's mysterious powers. In "Fight the Urge," the cast lines up in the buff to pantomime a shower scene, and in "Muscle Addiction," you guessed it, it's a gym scene. This is part of the charm of the show. The men aren't trying to put a tingle in the audience's trousers, though that could be an unintended effect. Instead, the show is exploring the everyday and the gay through witty lyrics and beautiful harmonics.

The show is not without its somber moments. "Kris, Look What You've Missed," is a melancholy, one-man piece and the only one that features no nudity. In this touching number, a sole performer tells of his life with an unseen lover who has died of AIDS.

Bailiwick Repertory at the Bailiwick Arts Center; 1229 W. Belmont; (773) 883-1090; $32-$37. Open run; 7 p.m. Friday, Sunday; 9 p.m. Saturday.