Off-Broadway notes

So I came across this:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/17/theater/safely-costuming-permission-a-high-impact-c omedy-from-robert-askins.html

Safely Costuming 'Permission,' a High-Impact Comedy From Robert Askins

A couple of months ago, Paloma Young went online and ordered a wide assortment of shaper panties, booty-padded panties, butt lifters and butt enhancers. Ms. Young, an award-winning costume designer, had just signed on to "Permission," a dark comedy by Robert Askins, whose "Hand to God" is up for the Tony Award for best play. It posed a design challenge like none she had ever experienced.

"Permission," an MCC Theater production, is about two couples experimenting with Christian Domestic Discipline, a practice in which husbands chastise their wives with timeouts, confiscation of privileges and corporal punishment, chiefly spanking.

In fact, the article is mostly about the costume designer, and her struggle to find costumes that would protect the actresses (I think it's just actresses) during a show which runs eight times a week, while still providing the appearance of a realistic spanking. (Presumably none of the actors are actually spankos, or at least none will admit to it ... though apparently one actress gets spanked twice during the show without padding.) I don't know if the spanking is played mostly for laughs, or if there if there is any genuine attempt to relate to kink, but I'd be curious to see it. Unfortunately, I'm about 1000 miles too far away to see it.

I think I can see the "50 Shades of Gray" here starting to have an affect....

CS

Yeah, I think we'll be seeing a lot more of this sort of thing, CS.


Hey, I almost forgot to quote my favorite part of the article:


Ms. Young has a policy: With any clothing "that's sort of weird or not normal, I try it out before I put it on an actor --- hygienically."

Wearing her skirt over the padded underwear, she tried to spank herself. It didn't really work. So she said to her associate, the designer David Hyman, "We might be crossing some sort of professional line, but will you spank me right now?"

He did.


I'm getting story ideas from that ...

If you google 'Permission by Robert Askins' the first listing should be a clip of a man and woman extolling the virtues of spanking! I totally agree with everything they say!!! Lol.

Sorry...i cant get the hang of doing a link but look for -

[WATCH] Permission Trailer.......

XxxX

The link in Jefesse's post contains a picture of a padded belt. This suggests to me a possible whodunit story line in which a disgruntled cast member with a grudge against the leading lady switches the padded belt for a real one just before curtain up. And what can the leading lady do? After all, the show must go on!

Well, the classic "spanking" stage show is "Kiss Me, Kate", which is still being performed all over the country, despite there being no mention of spanking in "The Taming of the Shrew" at all. It remains to be seen if this show will be the new classic and go on to a long life on Broadway (and perhaps a movie) or just fall by the wayside, never to heard from again. The "Christian Domestic Discipline" will probably be a barrier to acceptance by the public in general. It might have been better if he'd just done a straight up, couples spanking show. Sort of a "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" with spanking and role-switching and so on...

Here's a review, which gives the plot of the first act and isn't a positive one.

http://variety.com/2015/legit/reviews/permission-review-robert-askins-1201501862/

To quote:
But the second act, surprisingly, is a letdown. Askins delivers the expected plot developments: Eric and Cyndy adopt their own variation of CDD, and in due time, husbands and wives indiscriminately lunge at each other with abandon.

But in the end, there's not quite enough fun to be had from this Christian version of marital S&M, and strange to say, all the spankings (expertly choreographed and quite realistic, let it be said) become repetitive and pointless. What this comedy really could use are a few scenes in whatever church preaches this insanity.