Imagine a world where men, rather than women, are seen as sex objects first and foremost, with six packs more important than brain power or banter. Where male beauty is routinely commented on. It already exists and you can enter it via a ticket to Dreamboys, the premier UK male stripper outfit which toured on a Baltic night to Belfast’s Waterfront Hall on Thursday. They didn’t disappoint although this was a Stripped back outing, so no full frontal nudity apart from a naughty teasing sequence with Ryan (apparently the best endowed dreamboy) at the end.
So there was a lot of posterior action, with shapely bottoms making an appearance during different scenes. The show, with nice choreography, is loosely based on various themes, including a plane trip, cowboys, evening clad boys and anything else you might imagine. Musically, it plays fairly safe with everything from George Michael (of course) to Frank Sinatra, That’s Amore and the Macarena.
What distinguishes the show really is the audience participation. Girls, and one boy, were plucked from the audience to participate in fairly explicit, simulated sexy scenes. They were bent over, imaginarily seduced, and loved it. Talking to bespectacled Barbara, who featured in the plane trip scenario, she said she’d really enjoyed the experience even when the boys found some odd looking items in her luggage. It may amuse you to know I was invited onstage, but declined. Thank goodness, as the acts hotted up and the game participants were seriously wooed with the Dreamboys’ trademark energy. It was good they included a guy who clearly had a good time.
We caught tantalising darkened half glimpses of nudity but no full monty, with regulations strict since the Devenish Hotel debacle with the Pleasure Boys. On the way in, Frances said she hoped for a small or maybe large thrill. I trust the 48-year-old (“I should have lived more but normally like going out with my mother and father Francis.”) got her wish.
This wasn’t a wild night out, then, in a two thirds full theatre but an evening of innocent-ish smut with entertaining Jayson, Shane, and the rest of the cheeky cast, and none the worse for that.
Jane Hardy
