SOMETHING HAPPENED ONE NIGHT LAST MEMORIAL WEEKEND

-STEVIENYC

Miss Anita M. Buffem, and Gina Marie Rittale stepped out into the real world for “One Night Only”. You may know the voices of these show girls from their appearances on the weekly comedy podcast Sunday Morning Mimosa, where they talk about real world issues, as well as the hard times of what it’s like being an ex-show girl living out in Astoria, Queens NY.

I arrived at The Duplex around nine o’clock not so sure what to expect, other than a crowd of gay men and a few laughs.  I was completely wrong on both counts.  I’ve never seen a more mixed crowd (in terms of age, gender, race, and sexuality) coming out to see two men performing in drag, and I haven’t laughed harder in years.  Let me get one thing straight though, this was no drag show. Even calling it a “comedy show” wouldn’t be doing it justice.  The show I was about to see was the part of a well oiled machine called Sunday Morning Mimosa.  

Creators and writers for Mimosa (Travis Barr, Joe Lisi, and Steven Incammicia) didn’t miss a hitch. From the moment I walked into the burlesque style theater at The Duplex, I couldn’t help but giggle at the bubbly ticket collector, “Deena Deenadicci” (Double D) and ditsy hotbox girl, “Tina Marie” (Gina Marie’s daughter) who were playing up to their characters and interacting with audience members. Once the performance started there wasn’t a moment of silence. The time we spent in the theater was packed with entertainment, and the intense laughter coming from the audience was a testimony to the quality of the performance. What I like most about the performance, and about Mimosa in general, is the care taken in the writing. Each character has a long and in-depth back story that causes you to fall in love almost immediately. Whether you were an old fan of the weekly podcast or seeing them for the first time live in concert, you can almost feel the love and care that is put into these characters. Even our waiter was having a little trouble keeping his martinis together because he was laughing so hard.  Anita and Gina Marie, played by writers Travis Barr and Steven Incammicia, sang everything from “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” to a cover of Judy Garland’s “The Trolly Song” re-written to talk about the “N” train. After the lovely show girls finished singing and dancing their hearts out, they came out to the bar and interacted with audience members, strangers at the bar, and even strangers on the street to keep the entertainment going that much longer.

I can do nothing more than recommend for everyone to start listening to this show before Fox buys it out in a few years and makes a sitcom out of it.  If a little time once a weekis too much for you, make it out to their next live performance on Friday, July 17th & Friday, July 31st. You will NOT be disappointed!

-StevieNYC.com