This article appeared in the December 9th joke issue.
646 S. 5th St. Mon-Fri, 9 p.m., $6.90 (215) GET-ITON
South Street has always been full of racy stores, from Condom Kingdom to the G-Spot. As a freshman, seeing my first dildo while wandering around South Street was a momentous occasion. However, the Ben Franklin Theater really shakes things up with its sexual spin on culture. When I walked into the small theater's lobby, the photographs of previous shows --including HAMlet, a nude production of the Shakespeare play featuring only well-endowed men -- shocked me more than the Puppetry of the Penis performance I'd seen in New York (12 inches-come on!). So, I wasn't sure what to expect from Oedipussy Sex, with its vague but suggestive tagline: "An Interactive Interpretation of our Favorite Sex Taboo."
We've all heard the story of the boy who killed his dad so he could get with his mom. I know some of you boys have had trouble getting through it in high school (with your own Freudian psychosis getting in the way), but this theater has made a substantial contribution to the antiquated show by making the play entertaining once again. When I entered the theater, the playbill handed to me by a scantily clad Athenian seemed more or less harmless, so I figured there might be some partial nudity in the show, with an audience member touching a boob here, a ball there. I was not prepared for the full-on chaos that ensued.
Ladies, I recommend wearing your hottest lingerie, and men, now is not the time to wear those Mickey Mouse boxers with the hole in the ass, because every time one of the actors utters the word "mom," everyone -- actors and audience members alike--must take off an article of clothing. This means that the entire theater is naked and ready to get it on within fifteen minutes. While the theater has prohibited audience members from having orgies in their seats, it has delegated a bedroom, appropriately titled the Sophocles, where heavy petting is both permitted and encouraged. Because of the confidentiality agreement everyone must sign on their way in, I am not at liberty to discuss the specifics of the Sophocles, although I can say there is no prohibition of sex in this champagne room. The show was interesting, enlightening and sure as hell brought a whole new meaning to interactive theater.
