LOS ANGELES—Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but isn’t parody even better? Fans of the AVN Awards Show can find out tonight when Max Ziegfeld’s Porn Awards: The Musical! hits the stage at Rockwell: Table & Stage in Los Angeles.
Set in Las Vegas and featuring a red carpet and contestants vying for Golden Dick awards, this evening of theater draws some inspiration from the AVN Awards Show, the industry’s premier awards show, held every January at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas.
Porn Awards: The Musical! is described by Broadway World as “a semi-immersive theatrical experience” that mixes “the pageantry of Ziegfeld and the humor of modern burlesque.” It was written by Max Ziegfeld, with musical numbers by Santino DeAngelo and choreography by Tiger Martina.
Martina, who talked with AVN about the show, said he got involved when he was invited to “the very first sing-through in New York, and I’ve been involved ever since.” The show was performed in New York at the Duplex and then in Las Vegas at a new venue called The Space, Martina said.
The one-night workshop in Vegas “was a great success,” Martina said. Now with tonight's show in Los Angeles, they’re trying to raise awareness of the project—and funds for future performances.
After listening to Martina’s description of the show, it’s clearly something that members of the adult industry should enjoy. The production includes audience participation, with some attendees actually getting nominated for awards themselves—such as Best Foley Artist or Best Fluffer.
Porn Awards: The Musical! kicks off with a red-carpet sequence complete with impersonations of such Hollywood biggies as Liza Minnelli, Barbara Walters, Jane Lynch and Jennifer Coolidge, all performed by impressionist Carly Sakolove (The Book of Merman).
But at its heart are the musical numbers, including “Bigfoot’s Love Slave” (see it on YouTube), “Sex Emergency 911” (“classic '70s porn vibe”), “Octopussy” (a tribute to hentai porn) and “Let Them Eat Cake” (about Marie Antoinette, who sings, “Every man in Paris wants my head”). A song about Napoleon titled “Not Tonight, Josephine” is performed by Beau Cassidy, son of David Cassidy.
“The songs are just incredibly intelligent and clever—and dirty and naughty,” Martina said.
Martina also points out the presence of a bona fide adult performer in the cast: Quinton James. The OC Modeling client also will be singing in tonight’s production.
Other cast members include Alice Lee (Heathers, Bare), Riley Costello (Hairspray Live!, Bye Bye Birdie), Lesley McKinnell (Wicked national tour), Lindsay Roginski (Chicago), Amanda Hootman, Luke Allen, Spirit Duomo, Evan Keys and Natacha Bachour.
Though Martina works in Las Vegas, he hasn’t yet seen the AVN Awards Show. (“My schedule hasn’t allowed me to go.”) But he’s gotten a big kick out of Porn Awards: The Musical!
“We have fallen into a couple of fits of laughter,” he said of the rehearsals. And the audience can look forward to the same.
The show “allows everyone to let down their guard and laugh at themselves and have fun. It’s just a unifying force—everybody really does watch porn,” Martina asserted.
Rockwell: Table & Stage is located at 1714 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles. There is a two-drink minimum plus ticket purchase. To purchase tickets, go to Rockwell-LA.com.
