Parody of pop stars lacks the big laughs

Performance artist Neal Medlyn described a “cuddle-party” as a reinvented version of the slumber party—throw some people, pillows, and candy into the situation and it results in a coed and nonsexual way to get the attention and affection many crave, which sounds a lot more fun than sitting through Medlyn’s performance of “…Her’s A Queen” at the Dance Theater Workshop.

The show promises a night of “overlapping stories and bears and abstinence and unwashed hair and dance moves and knives and snakes and laptops and cuddle parties and babies,” according to the press release, which turned out to be a true statement. What it didn’t mention, however, was the amount of exposed body parts and general ridiculousness.

“...Her’s a Queen” is Medlyn’s fifth creation based on the lives of pop stars, and the first of a two-part Britney Spears/Hannah Montana parody. He has previously used such stars as R. Kelly, Kanye West, and Beyoncé as fodder for his performances, exploring the lure of pop culture. The performance was created around “the idea and music of Britney Spears, purity, and non-sexual touch,” the release explains.

Medlyn describes the lure of Spears as she has developed from a young, innocent American teenager to someone who is in the category of “professional maniacs. That’s their job, to fall apart,” Medley said in the press notes. Her fans “have gotten into her since she’s been crazy. They don’t remember young teenage Britney. They really only know crazy Britney and that’s what they identify with.”

The performance begins with Medlyn dressed in a see-through slip dress over a white thong which, as the audience discovers later, is filled with candy and explodes around the stage as he sings Spears’ ballad “Everytime.” Amidst his musical renditions he blurts out things such as “What’s up, Sacramento!” and “Merry Christmas!” poking fun at the things Spears has been known to say on accident while on tour.

From there, the performance continues with a mixture of songs and quotes from Spears’ documentaries, as he explores the idea of purity and the virgin-whore dichotomy in the life of Britney, and endeavors to become as pure as possible from the mess he was at the beginning of the performance.

“The reason I get more and more pulled together is that I decide I want to be purer and purer. By doing that, I keep forgetting more and more,” Medlyn described. “It is interesting to me to follow the idea of purity to its logical conclusion, which is, there is no one around, there is nothing going on, which is obviously not what you really want.”

Despite the absurd nature of the performance, the idea of a similar rendition inspired by Hannah Montana is oddly intriguing.

But those not in the mood to watch naked bodies rolling around on stage and other viral absurdities may want to grab some friends, some pillows, and some sweet treats and have a cuddle party instead.