CMU School of Drama


Wednesday, January 23, 2013

This weekend: 'Spank! The Fifty Shades Parody' brings the fun to the Byham Theater

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: A good comedy has to have just the right touch.
Which brings us to "Spank! The Fifty Shades Parody."
Six months ago, there was no "Spank." There was, however, a huge buzz about "Fifty Shades of Grey," the popular erotic novel by British author E.L. James that tells of a handsome young business magnate and a college graduate who explore the boundaries of dominance and submission.

3 comments:

Emma Present said...

I guess I should start this comment with a guilty admission: I read those books. A friend of mine became obsessed while we were in high school, and decided I couldn't live a moment longer without them in my life. So I obliged. But the whole time I was reading them, I was thinking along the lines of the author of "Spank." The books lend themselves so well to parody and being made fun of, it is nearly impossible to take them seriously. I would therefore be very intrigued to see this parody and see what its take is, and how it makes women scream and laugh while dodging risqué sexuality.

simone.zwaren said...

YES! I have yet to read the books, but I am so glad the task of making a parody was left up to theatre people. No one knows sexual humor like those in the entertainment industry. These books have been a huge buzz for the longest time and there have been a ton of jokes about the erotic novels, and I think such jokes need to be presented in a show format. I like that parodies have such a range now a days from memes, to youtube videos, and of course the stage.

Unknown said...

First, I'd like to point out that Fifty Shades is Twilight fan fiction. Lord knows, there have been more than enough parodies of Twilight, so it only makes sense that FSOG has a parody too. I think sexual humor is something that has always drawn people to movies, books, and shows. People love things that talk about sex and they love comedy so, it makes sense that this show would be doing well. I hope I get a chance to see this.