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Although the cast of Freedom Dance—a new show by Andy Golub scheduled to play at the Gene Frankel Theatre at 24 Bond Street on June 2 through June 5—is going to be completely naked, the point isn't to shock New Yorkers. There is, in fact, meaning to the nakedness.
"The nude form is used to effectively strip away societal roles, statuses and stigmas," reads an official description of the 90-minute production. "Naked theater reminds us of the essential humanity that we all share." And, given the whirlwind two years we've just had, a reminder that we are basically all the same sounds like a pretty good message.
The show is made up of a series of playful scenes that work in and of themselves but also coalesce into a larger "existential story about coping in our current world." The various vignettes include "Fire and Water Dance," "Original Music," "Poetry," "Existential Swim" and even a live painting session.
In addition to its relatively affordable ticket price ($35 each), Freedom Dance is an exciting and innovative proposal. As phenomenal as more traditional Broadway productions the likes of Funny Girl, The Music Man, A Strange Loop and Beetlejuice are, there is something to be said about stepping outside the lines of tradition, especially in a town as eclectic as New York during a time as strange as the one we're still living in.
Needless to say, only folks 18 and older will be allowed into Freedom Dance while photos and video recordings will be forbidden (we don't walk another Jesse Williams situation to arise, after all). You can grab tickets right here.
Alas, if "good old Broadway shows" are more your thing, check out our list of the very best ones to catch this season.