Fuerzabruta!

Years ago a friend told me I needed to see De la Guarda, a show in what looks like an old bank (I'm guessing) on Union Square, which was "sexy, and fun." Alas, I never made it. So I was happy when the same people who created De la Guarda came back to the space with something new, hopefully equally sexy and fun, Fuerzabruta.

And yay! It was sexy and fun! It was also like a short, expensive rave with acrobatics, where all the performers were WAY TOO HAPPY. I have no idea if there was any meaning to be inferred in the dancing and running through cardboard and getting spayed with water, but something about it suggested I should break out of my office-life rut and live life to the fullest (and be sexy and fun and smile a lot).

Essentially a series of scenes set around and above the audience, which is jammed together as a big sweaty mass, Fuerzabruta combines aerial acrobatics with a thumpin' generic soundtrack, and plenty or scantily clad attractive people, leading to the highlight - a huge transparent sheet of plastic pooling with water which descends to just above the audience's heads, where the cast slips and slides around, wet and pretty, and interacts with the audience in an, "what are these mortals below us, how curious, i love them" sort of way. I would be lying if I didn't say there was something erotic about this, or that I was not jealous of the cast to get to throw themselves around in the water above an enamored audience

There were parts of unexplainable silliness as well, as when the perky dj took out a huge squirt gun and started spraying the audience while throwing her hair around, or when a number of the actors did a choreographed hoe down-type dance and then tore apart the walls around them (live life to the fullest, break down barriers, etc. etc. etc. ?).

The result of all the water and sweatiness and cardboard being ripped up is this: I have recommended Fuerzabruta to people on several occasions, saying "it's a lot of fun. You'll get wet."

You know there is something about perky sexy wet people sliding around just out of arms length that gets me every time.