Just the idea of Undressed: The Musical, now with four remaining upcoming shows at New York City hotspot Red Eye, is a tittilating prospect. Five handsome guys, stripped down to their skivvies, take embarrassing stories from select members of the audience, pulled randomly from a bucket, and then perform an original musical based upon those embarrassing stories.  Therefore, no two performances of Undressed are ever the same, and the audience never knows what they are going to see and hear, even if they vow to attend every future Undressed: The Musical performance from now on (which THIS audience member, for one, would be more than happy to do…). In that way, the creators and cast of this fabulously unique show have their work cut out for them.  These guys, dressed only in their undies, are definitely easy on the eyes– and watching them move around on the stage at Red Eye is a thrill in itself.  However, this is Undressed: The MUSICAL, so there is indeed some MUSIC involved.  These guys can definitely sing.  But more about that later.  Let’s start at the very beginning… (After all, it’s a very good place to start.)

The February 5th edition of Undressed: The Musical got off to a great start with the boys’ choice of their host: the dazzling “Las Vegas Lounge Legend” (Say that three times fast…) Trudy Carmichael. This Titian-haired, larger-than-life diva knows how to kick off a show. Ms. Carmichael’s improvisational skills have led to critical acclaim and audience delight from all over the world, and she was all ready to prove it to the crowd at “The Red Eye Hotel and Casino” that night.  The singer asked for suggestions from the audience for a song, and the two suggestions were “Lana Del Rey” and… “a closet poster” (!). Surely enough, the diva created an original song from the odd pairing.  For another number, she asked the audience about the worst gifts they’d received for Valentine’s Day.  One of the answers was “a melted  .  chocolate bear” and another was “a broken snow globe”.  And yet again, Ms. Carmichael managed to construct a fully fledged song from the odd pairing. (If you have a hard time imagining that, let’s just say that Trudy Carmichael is a performer you MUST see in person to fully appreciate.  Hint, hint…!) Her skills at impromptu songwriting is impressive enough, but it can’t be emphasized enough that this lady has an amazing voice as well.  She can hit those challenging notes with the force of the entire Vegas Strip– and still make it look easy!  Her third song, a bona fide banger about Bad Bunny’s upcoming performance at The Super Bowl (“🎶🎶I can’t wait to watch Bad Bunny take off this clothes at the halftime show!🎶🎶”) deserves to become a Top 10 Single– with a dance remix to follow!

So, speaking of improvisational skills… It was then time for the “Undressed” guys! (In this performance, the men were Alex Tracey, Blake Rogers, Chris Bell, Curry Whitmire, and Ilan Kaplan… plus their VERY hardworking pianist Paolo Perez) Keeping their promise, they picked three stories submitted by the audience. The main story involved, ahem… an altercation at a bar, a saltwater fish tank, an “ass pic” on Instagram, and self-esteem issues about not getting complemented on that ass pic.  What the quintet of guys created with this truly bizarre story was no less than astonishing– complete with drama, comedy, pathos, a character arc, and even a happy “end”-ing (Pun clearly intended…). There was even a power ballad-style duet between a wrasse and a starfish. Whoa!  Again, as with their hostess Trudy, if you have a hard time imagining all of this, let’s just say that these Undressed men MUST be seen in person to be fully believed– and appreciated. Hint, hint again…!  There were even subplots to the “main” story, constructed from two additional audience submissions pulled from the basket.  

The five multi-talented men of Undressed: The Musical genuinely seemed to be having as much fun as the audience, who laughed heartily and who didn’t hesitate to clap along during one particularly upbeat musical number.  The boys’ chemistry together was very impressive.  And, the music was adorned with some equally hilarious, spontaneous choreography.  But of course, none of that music would matter if the performers couldn’t, well… SING!  But rest assured: These guys can turn it out!  

Undressed: The Musical is more than a buffet of handsome men.  It’s more than comedy. It’s more than a musical revue.  It’s one of the most original and entertaining shows in New York City! Come on, get Undressed!

The next performance of Undressed: The Musical will be on Thursday. March 5th at Red Eye NY, 355 W 41st St, New York City.  Showtime is 8PM.  For more information and showtimes, visit  https://www.undressedmusical.com.

https://www.undressedmusical.com