Altar Boyz

Altar Boyz is a satire about boy bands and the Christian contemporary music scene. The talented Jesuit High School drama department is producing Altar Boyz concurrently with Nunsense this month. I bought four pairs of tickets so Mike and I could take turns going with Chris and Kieran.

My date at the theater
Altar Boys is the ninth longest-running off-Broadway show. The boy band, Altar Boyz, presents the last concert on their tour--Matthew, Mark, Luke, Juan, and Abraham (the Jewish kid). The show skewers everything from New Kids on the Block, Christian contemporary bands, and the Catholic church to the abstinence movement, albeit in a friendly, affectionate way.

Mark has a crush on Matthew, and just as you think he's going to launch into a coming-out song, he begins singing about how it's okay to be a Catholic. Matthew sings a song to a girl pulled out of the audience about his need to abstain, and that in the meantime, he will just "master his fate." Abraham is the brains behind the group--the songwriter and the soul--and he's the Jewish one. Juan is the token Mexican who finds out (during the show) that his birth parents are dead. And Luke is the hoodlum.

Some of the jokes went over Kieran's head (and some, Chris' as well), but we all enjoyed it. I love the fact that Jesuit--a Catholic high school--is choosing to do some edgy material. Altar Boyz runs through November 14--tickets are just $10--so if you're a theater lover in Portland and enjoy satire (especially about religion!), I recommend it.

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