A ladies book club meets to discuss and dissect the erotic desire novel Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James while portions of the novel are sung and danced to on stage.
That's the plotline for the musical parody 50 Shades! The Musical now coming to Houston courtesy of TUTS Underground.
Whether you were one of the book's avid readers or have been purposefully staying away from it, the musical offers a whole different way to take in the work that swept this country and the world.
Former Jersey Village High School graduate Chris Sams who will be here as part of what he describes as Christian Grey's "eye candy" ensemble, describes it as a basic comedy about "boy meets girl and the boy has a crazy way of carrying out his physical relationships with his partners."
Despite the adults-only subject matter, Sams says while on tour he hasn't seen audience members walking out, probably because everyone knows what it's based upon - imagine, all those literate audiences! Besides, he says, people in the United States are becoming more open about discussing sexuality.
Sams is a big fan of the TUTS Underground effort pointing out that theater should be many things and that while yes, it's great that a tour of say Wicked packs them in, there should also be a place for other efforts because as hard as it is to imagine, not everyone is a Wicked fan.
50 Shades! The Musical runs December 17 - 22 at the Hobby Center, 800 Bagby. Better get your tickets fast because several of those shows are already sold out which TUTS Underground is combating in part by offering a special nooner performance on Thursday, December 19. For information call 713-558-8887 or visit tuts.com.
