Vaudezilla: "It's cool man!"

The Dude and Red Hot Annie

Vaudezilla's production of Rollin' Outa Here Naked: a Big Lebowski Burlesque opened, on the main stage of Greenhouse Theater, to a near capacity, energetic audience that expressed their on going appreciation with whistles, clapping and verbal adulation including whoops, yells and cat calls.

Donny, Walter and Dude

Created by Vaudezilla, Red Hot Annie, co Executive Producer with Dick Dijon, explains the production as a parody of a "...mish mash of different situations" that happen in the Coen brothers 1998 movie The Big Lebowski.  There seems to be no simple way of explaining the movie as it is a very complicated story.

The Dude

Brandt

The basics are that there are two Jeffery Lebowskis. There is Jeffery "The Dude" and Jeffery the elderly Los Angeles millionaire, who has a not very loyal wife who owes big bucks to some bad guys.

In efforts to recoup the debt, the bad guys confuse The Dude with the millionaire setting a complicated series of events into actions that sometimes defy logic in a comedy/crime story.  It starts with the bad guys peeing on The Dude's rug. Bowling is an ongoing theme.

The first act of this parody has the Stranger, the cowboy, played by Dick Dijon, tellin' ya in a slow drawl about Jeffery "The Dude" Lebowski.  He explains that he is one of the laziest men in LA, which places him high in the running for laziest in the world.

Red Hot Annie can mesmorize

Donna Touch as Bunny

Performed in slow motion, the second act is, as the Dude would say, "cool man." Many of the characters seem to glide across the stage in opposite directions. The Dude, Jeff Bridges' part in the movie, is played by Logan Conner and "man, well ya know man, he is f_in' good.  Ya know what I mean, man?"  He carries off the coherent and not so coherent situations that he finds himself experiencing thru out the show in character and in an appropriately dazed manner.

His bowling buddy, Walter, who is a guy with anger issues, is introduced in that act. Paul Backer plays this character well throughout the show. One act seems to melt into another with several good to brilliant performances. Jason Schoenbeck's Brandt is reminiscent of Philip Seymour Hoffman's portrayal in the movie. Kyle Greer as Knox Harrington, the Video Artist, was electric. Donna Touch was a believable "Bunny" with amazing tassel twirling talent. Maria May I plays Jesus with incredible attitude while Viva La Muerte gives a whole new dimension to flirty stripping.

Maude is surrounded by dancers and Dude

The Stranger

Walter in back with Jesus showing attitude

With bowling pin headdresses, the showgirl dancers are quite fun as they dance to the tune "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In). However, the most brilliant, polished performer is Red Hot Annie. Her timing in each of her acts is excellent. Her actions and holds are well crafted. She tantalizes with slow languid teases and twirls as she plays with the audience.

The production requires no mental gymnastics except for dialing into your fun no logic lobe. If you check out the movie online, it may make the production all the more enjoyable. The show runs about an hour and a quarter with no intermission. There are nine performances left between Sept. 10 and Sept. 25, Fridays at 10 p.m. and two performances on Saturdays, one at 10 p.m. and the other at 11:55 p.m. at the Greenhouse Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln.

For more info about the movie: Online movie; summary; synopsis; pre event story