"Flash Ah-Ahhh" @ The Hostess

"Flash Ah-Ahhh" is the most delightfully weird thing I have ever seen. It really can only be described as an oxymoron. "Brilliantly bad", maybe? It is a musical based on the 1980 "camp classic" "Flash Gordon" The movie's apparently iconic theme song is by Queen, and the rest of the musical's score is carefully selected Queen songs, that somehow actually fit.  I am a little late to the party with regard to the movie, but mention its title to anyone who has seen it and you will get an imitation of the falsetto chorus from which the musical takes its name.

There are two polar-opposite reasons that the musical succeeds as unbelievably well as it does. One is the unexpectedly fantastic band and singing. Their name is "Mercury Rising, AKA School of Rock," but for the purpose of this production, might I suggest that they change their name to "Flying Blind on a Rocket-Cycle." As soon as I heard that line in the film I thought, "That's a perfect name for a band!" The other is the hilariously low-tech props. Whether it be the villain's stuffed cat, or the "moon rock" rendered as a crumpled paper bag.

It turns out that the man behind "Flash Ah-Ahhh", Steve Coker is also behind "Dex Dixon: Paranormal Dick" which I am eagerly awaiting at Stump Town Stages. I think he is a bright voice in Portland's theatre scene.

The Hostess

538 SE Ash