Review reprinted from InSite Austin Magazine.

Theater Going
BY SANDRA BECKMEIER

I admit it; the ads for "Making Porn" did not catch my eye at first. I was ambivalent. Pornography is subjective. The play has a lot of sex and nudity. But It is a good one. - Sandra Buckmeier

I admit it; the ads for "Making Porn" did not catch my eye at first. I was
ambivalent. Pornography is subjective. The play has a lot of sex and
nudity. But It is a good one. Issue driven, characters speak openly about their
relationship to filmmaking, hidden but exploitative, and rely on the
audience’s honesty to the form, and sometimes relationship to porn.
Delving into subjects like AIDS and drug abuse, real life adult stars Ryan Idol
and Chris Steele head the cast of Ronnie Larsen's comedy examining
pornography’s appeal.

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It is primarily told through gay experience, with actors playing actors
who testify to the trials and tribulations ranging from self-conviction to
unwanted praise. At times I couldn’t find the comedy when the audience was
roaring, I thought what was happening was too compelling. None of the
characters ever win.

Inspired by a love affair with his porn hero, a young man gets caught up
leaving college to become a porn star himself. Played by Jody Lanclos,
"Ricky" has an impulse to fulfill his childhood dream and fumbles toward
fate, almost overdosing on drugs after discovering he’s tested positive
for AIDS, and has fallen in true love.

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Steele plays Ray, who tumbles from bed to bed, turned off by intimacy and
whose career has taken a downturn from porn films and making money to live
nude stage dancing. He takes a leap of faith when recruited by a greed-driven
director who casts him in a film about sex-starved cops.

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Director Blake Yelavich hopes the producing company Naughty Austin will
create a move toward legitimizing popular theater locally. "As a theater
company whose focus is solely on adult off-Broadway comedies, local
critics oftentimes dismiss us. They never can say that we do shoddy work,
but we just don't garner the kudos for the talent that is on stage. And that is a
shame," he said.

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Austin doesn’t recognize the subculture with much progress, as do cities
like New York or Los Angeles where adult pornography are considered
culture. The face-front conservatism that lives here doesn’t allow much in the
realm of what gets defined as popular culture.

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Yelvich however, is hopeful. "I am glad the play came together and is such
a popular success. I am very proud of my entire cast and crew. It is a very
expensive show to produce; so huge crowds don't instantly mean big bank
accounts in Naughty Austin's name... But we knew that going into it. We
hoped this show would put up one more step toward a legitimacy of theater
in town. Albeit a certain KIND of theater, but popular theater just the same.
And maybe these new theater patrons will recognize that Naughty Austin
does the types of shows they like to see and they'll come back again and
again."

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The company began as a late night cabaret group at the State Theater
performing parodies of local productions. Future plans include "Class Of
'86, " a sketch comedy musical from the writers of National Lampoon; "End
Of The World Party" about a group of guys on Fire Island who realize they are
getting too old for the "circuit," and "Scent Of Rain" about a cancer ridden
farmer's dying wish to see his youngest son paired off with a suitable
husband.

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When asked about directing the play Yelavich added, "Art doesn't mean you
have to be cryptic or less than understood. I think that is both what
"Making Porn" and our theater company are all about. We held auditions and
more than 75 people showed up. Three that I cast backed out for various
reasons. Fortunately I have a core of actors in town whom I trust and
thoroughly enjoy working with."

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Ryan Idol and Chris Steele star along with Beth Burroughs, Jody Lanclos,
Greg Kelly, Bryan Schneider, Shawn Friesen, and Jefferson Lykins.
"Making Porn," by Ronnie Larson will be playing at the Hyde Park
Theatre through July 13, 2002. Thursday performances are at 8:00 p.m.,
Friday and Saturday at 10:00.pm. You can purchase tickets online at
www.frontera.org, or on company's website at www.naughtyaustin.com.
For more information call (512) 407-8877Hyde Park Theatre is located
at 511 West 43rd Street.

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ADVISORY: CONTAINS NUDITY AND SEXUAL CONTENT.
NO ONE UNDER 17 PERMITTED.

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