Jon T.
Yelp
Miz Kitty's Parlour, the long running Portland vaudeville novelty show and revusical, successfully combines the old time vaudevillian format with contemporary performances to provide wide ranging audiences memorable shows. Miz Kitty's April 11th, 2015 show, part of the thirteenth season, included everything from the sublime to the ridiculous and easily kept theater goers engaged for over two hours.
The drab and dreary two story exterior of the historic Alberta Rose Theater showcases boutique shops framed in bright white window trim that easily masks the fact there a theater present to passerby's on the vibrant Alberta Street. With only a small hanging marquee and wide, dimly lit windowless entry that hides the tiny box office to the right, the exterior of the theater seems incomparable to the more flashy Hollywood and Baghdad Theaters to the south. This seemingly lifeless building is the perfect home for Miz Kitty's Parlour.
Upon entering the lobby, a flood of color and sound transport participants into another world entirely, pulling off the illusion that the show inside is a somewhat secret, somewhat forbidden event like the outlawed speakeasies of the prohibition era. Passing into the concession isle, a glimpse of the stage can be viewed through two large theater entrances and a giant open window that serves nicely as a standing bar and waiting area.
Miz Kitty's house band, "The Cur Tails", are stage right with a red and blue lit curtain background that surrounds a large movie screen playing a slideshow of artsy burlesque like images of dancing ladies, performers, and bunny costumed freaks. The band conjures up a lively, swinging jazz number and the early arriving audience fills the theater with loud, boisterous conversation.
As the concession line briskly moves along and the $5.25 per pint Ninkasi Stouts are in hand, the lights dim, the band begins playing Miz Kitty's entry theme music, and the song lyrics are displayed against the movie screen. The Miz Kitty regulars begin to sing along and unsure first timers do their best to follow lead. For a brief moment, one feels like they have gotten themselves into an evening of hammy performances and an awkward social engagement they may soon regret.
The three hundred plus seat theater is packed, but a few open seats in the back corner offer a nice place to slip into obscurity. There is no rear balcony so the sound from the stage is captured within the castle gray walled theater hall nicely. Worn, slightly uncomfortable seats create a real vintage vibe. It's hardly noticeable you are sitting on a thin piece of fabric over wire springs in the non-existent cushion. There are no drink holders so you must remain on guard that a stumblebum in the seat next to you does not kick your drink over on the floor, but it all seems to work and the deficiencies do not detract from the enjoyment of this quirky venue.
Miz Kitty makes her grand entrance to the stage and reveals that after thirteen years of hosting her imaginative show, she has complete command of the theater and her audience. Wearing what appear to be striped purple stockings, an early twentieth century sequin bustier with tassels, and large feather headdress, Miz Kitty is immediately captivating and charismatic. She engages the audience with laughter and quickly introduces the evening's first act, a Pete Krebs country western duo "The Earnest Lovers". They are very talented and very country western. The set is quick, about fifteen minutes, and then Miz Kitty returns to shell out door prizes to unsuspecting audience members. These are mainly costume pieces she has collected from rummage sales and the skit offers comedic relief between acts.
A staged comedy duo are called up to the front, momentarily tricking the audience into believing they are not part of the show. Their humor is hammy and corny, but easily elicit laughs from the boozed up crowd. The duo are given a special suite in one of the two baluster balconies that overlook the stage. The amusing pair do hit comedic gold in the opening after intermission with their rendition of "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" which is the only time the evening seems to overtly slip into a 21 and over adult rating.
The variety of the night's acts feature The Company Cirque En Deroute, a trio of acrobatic performers from New York who startle the audience with their visibly dangerous acrobatics that include a clearly three hundred pound man standing on the shoulders of a slim sidekick. One can hear the audience gasp as the heavier man appears to crush the life from the smaller man. Their female counterpart is tossed through the air screaming and crawls up and down the two men nearly reaching the interior height of the theater. The performance is purposefully clumsy and frightening, propelling the the entire evening's entertainment into a well rounded success.
Additional musical acts include lively irish music from local Portland group, "The Stomptowners",
