Altar Boyz

Saw this very funny show last night at the Bethesda Theatre. It is a spoof of boy bands. This boy band happens to be a Christian boy band. There are five guys in the show. They characters are Matthew, Luke, Mark, Juan and Abraham. Abraham just happens to be Jewish.

Here's a review of the show:

The long running off-Broadway hit, Altar Boyz, has been extended for the second time at the Bethesda Theatre, a former Cinema-Draft house movie theatre on Wisconsin Ave about 3 miles off the Capital beltway. Having been the movie theatre a few times in the past it seemed a perfect medium sized venue for smaller live theatre productions. And I must say it works.

No longer is the seating long tables for pizza and beer; it’s now a real art deco theatre with a state of the art stage and quality sound system that really showed off it’s quality in the pseudo-christian-boyband-rock concert musical.

It’s the last night of a catholic saving soul’s tour to bingo halls and ex-movie theatres as described by the lead singer Matthew to the audience. Through their faith, a dozen or so tunes and high energy dancing they attempt to win souls for Jesus all within a style of satirical Christianity. The witty choreography mimicking every one from Justin Timberlake to Britney, Cher, and JLo is as hysterical as the lyrics in the phony Christian rock ballads and pop tunes. Imagine NKOB with a chastity promise.

The mostly local cast of 5 performers, lead singer and heartthrob Matthew (Jared Zirilli), Mark (Patrick Ellott) who wants to be as big as Clay Aiken and not so secretively in love with Matthew, sexy Juan (Michael Busillo), Luke (Travis Morin) just out of the hospital for….exhaustion? and Jewish Abraham (David R. Gordon- how did he get in the group?) are all talent singers and performers. The ensemble not only had the young girls in the audience screaming but most of their mothers, and not just a few guys, too.

The on-stage band rocks the house while not deafening the audience as the national tour did when it played the Hippodrome and Warner Theatres a few years ago.

Altar Boyz is a story about bringing audiences to Jesus and some personal redemptions that are secondary to the singing and dancing.

Here are a couple of clips. One is from the show the other is an interview the cast did.