By ‘Burgh Vivant, Mike Buzzelli
Clothes might make the man, but clothes don’t make the band. This weekend, award-winning performers Lauren Molina (Sweeney Todd, Marry Me a Little) and Nick Cearley (All Shook Up) are in town to play instruments in their underwear in “The Skivvies” at the Lester Hamburg Theater, inside City Theater.
If you’re not careful, Cearley will show you his glockenspiel. The duo plays a variety of instruments. Cearley plays the aforementioned glockenspiel, the ukulele and the melodica, a blow organ (easy, now!). Molina plays the ukulele and the cello. Both do it with style and skill.
Mike Buzzelli, Lauren Molina, Nick Cearley, and Lonnie The Theatre Lady.
The plucky duo, a scantily clad “Will and Grace,” perform mash-ups of popular songs of several eras. Imagine your radio stuck on scan, but all performed with Molina and Cearley’s masterful, mellifluous voices. The musicians are accompanied by Shannon Ford on drums, beating on them with flair.
A few local guests sat in with the immodestly attired Molina and nearly naked Cearley. At Thursday’s performance Burgh Vivant caught Michael Campayno (Rolf from the recently televised “Sound of Music”), Hayley Nielsen (in Primestage’s upcoming “The Importance of Being Earnest”) and Bria Walker (last seen at the City Theater in “Pop”). All of them made brief appearances in their briefs. Other guests Courtney Balan, Joshua Elijah Reese, Hannah Shankman and Nancy Anderson will join the show for select performances (consult the website, if you want to gawk at a particular member of that group).
Neilsen was the first guest, playing a boozy medley of songs. Molina remarked, “There’s a lot of songs about alcohol.” In a few minutes, Neilsen and the Skivvies managed to mention almost all of them.
Walker strut her stuff, commanding the stage with a mash-up of dance songs. For the record, she brought it. The girl can sing! Emphasis on the exclamation point.
Campayno joined the undie rock show with a witty rendition of “Call me, Maybe,” serenading Cearley, while Molina fumed with jealousy (tongue planted firmly in cheek).
With their talent, your head will say “They don’t need the gimmick,” but other parts of your body will shout, “Everyone should perform this way!”
You still have three more chances to catch “The Skivvies,” Friday and Saturday at 8:00 pm with a special 10:30 performance on Saturday at the City Theater, 1300 Bingham Street, Pittsburgh from February 13, 2014 – February 15, 2014
For more information call or click: 412-431-2489 or www.citytheatrecompany.org
