I recently was invited to attend Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus Live! (thanks Cultural Trust!) and I have thoughts:
1. I wish someone had told me sooner how fun cabaret shows are. There's some extra magic to be found in small venues, especially when the small venues come with food and drinks at your table during the show.
2. Amadeo Fusca is a Pittsburgh treasure and probably needs to move back because I said so. He is the one and only person in the entire show, which runs like a combination of a standup comedy show and a scripted stage production, but you don't notice that he's the only one because he does such a good job telling stories. Which, he also blurs the lines between reality and script and I'm still a little pissed about it. Is he really married to a woman named Sarah? Does he have a son named Dominic? I DON'T KNOW.
3. The bad thing about the show is that it's based on a book that is clearly dated. I think there's something to be said for the central theme, but maaaaaan with the narrow view of relationships having to be between a man and a woman and uuuuuugh with the stereotyped gender stuff. It didn't ruin the show by any means (because Amadeo is a treasure), but it was a noticeable opportunity for improvement.
4. The central theme has some legit points. I think my favorite one is the idea that men need appreciation which LOLZ. I can name 20 who think they should get a parade complete with a marching band and Shriners driving tiny cars every time they empty the dishwasher. Women just do that stuff. (Mostly, obviously. Stereotyping genders, what?)
5. The show is really funny.
6. I was one of the youngest people in attendance. Most of the audience was couples in the 50s or 60s. Thanks for making me feel young, geezers!
7. The show is definitely for adults. Although, there's a part of me that wants to take Alexis just so I can watch her be completely horrified about all of the talk about sex. Grandma Alexis gets SUPER uncomfortable with those types of discussions and it's the best.
8. John Gray, the guy who wrote the book by the same title as the show, is shown in some videos during the production. Which, the videos work well within the show, but that guy is a condescending blurgh. It's kind of amazing that anybody listened to him. And I decided I didn't like him before I read some of his thoughts on feminism, which just made me suuuuuuper not like him.
9. It's still a good show and definitely a fun night out with a partner or friend.