Subtitled “Boylesque Bullfight,” Ferdinand is an all-male ensemble piece which fuses a 1936 classic children’s tale with eroticism and “decadent panache.” Despite being one of the largest and strongest bulls, Ferdinand has no interest in bullfighting and would rather smell flowers. In 1938, Munro Leaf’s book sold more copies than Gone With The Wind to become the number one bestseller that year. In the hands of Company XIV, the bulls wear horns, masks, large bull nose rings, a (little) bit of leather and heels. The athleticism and choreography are astoundingly good.
Théâtre XIV in Brooklyn is surely the ideal setting for this burlesque extravaganza. The setting is opulent, decadent and seemingly unearthed from a period somewhere between Moulin Rouge and Cabaret. Drinks are available and are quite good. The environment is elegant, sensual, comfortable and dingy with an abundance of chandeliers. In other words, the theater is gorgeously realized for its mission.
In the second act, there is a matador. Marcy Richardson is simply spectacular with her aerial act and operatic voice. The entire evening is massively homoerotic so stay far away if your sensibilities will be assaulted. For the rest of us, the sheer brilliance of the music, dance and lighting are reasons to run to this show. Ferdinand is stylized, sexy and jaw-droppingly impressive to watch whether to ogle the bodies on display or to marvel at their exceptional physicality and movement. Ferdinand is a very serious piece of theater, yet playful and giddy as any great burlesque should be. I will be back for their holiday offering “Nutcracker Rouge.”
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