A show that needs little introduction, Steve Silver’s Beach Blanket Babylon has been thrilling audiences for over 30 years. The longest running musical revue in theatre history, Beach Blanket Babylon is the ultimate ode to San Francisco and pop culture. This hilarious 90-minute whirlwind of a show features San Fran’s most talented performers, comedic writing, elaborate hats, costumes and wigs imaginable. Internationally acclaimed, Beach Blanket Babylon has performed approximately 12,000 performances to over 4.8 million people.
The show is loosely based around Snow White – enter eye-batting ingénue – who, like many women in San Francisco, is deprived of a male counterpart. In her desperation, Snow White embarks on an international journey, including visits to Rome and Paris, where she encounters such celebrities as Paris Hilton, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Kirstie Alley, Oprah, Harry Potter, Borat, Elvis, Barry Bonds, Martha Stewart, Dick Cheney and George W. Bush (just to mention a few). Will Snow White ever break her oh-so-innocent exterior and attract her perfect mate? Perhaps Snow White will learn a few things about life and love outside San Francisco… cue show stopping medley.
With a cast of 10 incredibly versatile singer/dancer/comedians, Beach Blanket Babylon is comparable to any Broadway-level revue. Host Val Diamond, dressed like a sequined cupcake, entertains the audience with her smoky song voice, fabulous foreign accents and facial expressions. Shawna Ferris is a most bizarre Snow White with eyelashes that practically sweep the stage and a helium-induced voice which is both annoying and addictive at the same time (How does she do that?!). Kirk Mills portrays the flamboyant King Louis; Erika Bowman takes on Glinda the Good Witch, Oprah and Tina Turner; Ellen Toscano portrays Paris in prison, a bald Britney, the Chiquita banana lady and of course, Nancy Pelosi. One cannot forget Phillip Williams’ portrayal of Prince, James Brown and Barry Bonds. With a lineup like this how can you resist?
While there are several scenes that stand the test of time, many of the bits are fresh and topical. As a result, the show you see today may be quite different from the show you saw several years ago. It often seems as though their material is culled straight from the morning news headlines. Even the foot-tapping antics of Senator Larry Craig make it into the show. Throwing caution to the wind, the writers are not afraid to ruffle political feathers (both donkeys’ and elephants’), roast celebrities or crucify a few religions. The result is irreverent “wink-wink” satire that pokes fun without pontificating or partisan stumping.
The flip side of the topicality of the pieces is their limited shelf lives, often expiring within a constrained timeframe. Unfortunately, some pieces which show their age are still a part of the show. For instance, while it is still earns laughs and snickers, the Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction piece has lost quite a bit of punch over the years. Rest assured, this is more the exception than the rule.
Beach Blanket Babylon is San Francisco’s most exciting living monument and a definite “must see!” Once you experience this outlandish production, everything else – the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, Pier 39 and those famous sea lions – will seem so… ordinary.
Performances are Wednesday and Thursday at 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m.; and Sunday at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Co-written with Caroline Kobylarz
Originally published: http://www.ucsf.edu/synapse/articles/2007/Oct/4/beachblanketbab.html
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