The second installation of the Philly Fringe Preview Series, presented by OnStage Philadelphia at Plays and Players Theater (1714 Delancey Place), was quite the success. Relocating to the downstairs theater was a smart move, as fans of the Fringe quickly filed in to witness what was bound to be a fun and exciting evening. Hosted by Don Montrey and Juliette Pryor of The Don and Julie Show!!!, the night started on the right foot with some quick banter between the two artists, cleverly accompanied by Alex Bechtel. Featured on the bill were The Hoppers Hit the Road, Media Addicts, Good News: Release & Jubilee, Flushdance, Vampire Lesbians of Sodom, and Pushkin at Boldino.

<%image(20080819-Flushdance blog.jpg|233|350|Photo: Pedro da Silva)%>Brian Sanders/JUNK and their hilarious Flushdance were the talk of the town long after the event ended. A parody of the ‘80s classic, Flashdance (what, you hadn’t caught on?), the piece began with a simply-lit trio—one male and two female dancers—who gracefully entered and removed plain white tees to reveal their bare essentials. The dancers moved flawlessly, conquering lifts and contortions I thought only happened in the Olympics. The second vignette of their performance was a duet between a female hunter (clad in camo vest and bright orange Hooters-esque shorts) and her hunted: a sheep. Scurrying on tiptoe and toting a rifle, this dancer was truly a vision and her target, the sheep, dressed only in undies and a sheep’s hood, was a riotous sidekick. Add in an oversized jar of mint jelly, and there you have the fool-proof recipe for laughter.

The crowd was now hungry for more, and Sanders did not disappoint. “What a Feeling,” that iconic tune by Irene Cara from Flashdance, was the soundtrack to a seemingly casual trip to the potty for the last dancer. His gray cut-off oversized sweatshirt seemed familiar though, and soon his passion for the music overpowered his need for…well, you know…and with jeans around his ankles, he began recreating the movie’s famous chair dance, complete with toilet bowl water.

Flushdance was only one of the great 10-minute sneak peak performances. If you’re sorry you missed last night, be sure to come out next week for the final Monday night Philly Fringe Preview Series. Visit www.playsandplayers.org for tickets.

–Victoria Fear

Hey! The Philly Fringe Preview Series is sponsored by WPRB public radio. Tune into 103.3 FM or from anywhere in the world via streaming audio at