Theatre Review: Locked Up B*tches Is Pure, Animal Fun At The Flea Theater
Synopsis: Get ready for some RUFF b*tches! When Pipsy, a pedigree cocker spaniel, lands at the Bitchfield Animal Shelter, she becomes thecenter of a turf war between the dogs and the cats.
Wonderfully directed by Michael Raine, Locked Up B*tches lives and thrives off of the fun of its cast. From the very beginning, they like each other and are here to give a good show. The perks of off-broadway is that you will have the most creative works and generous actors coming together to give a show that aims to leave a great memory; Locked Up B*tches does.
At first, Locked Up B*tches is a lot. Playing at the acclaimed Flea Theater, you walk in and the cast is amongst the audience, completely breaking the fourth wall, and trying to bond with you like a fellow cellmate. You are taken aback by how open the play/ musical is to the audience. This animal shelter is also an “Orange Is The New Black” styled prison with Pubestache (played hilariously by Alex Haynes) guarding these dogs like literal family. Yet, a war is brewing in the kitchen as the “p*ssies” (cats) and “b*tches” (dogs) are battling over who has the right to feed the other. It is an argument that clearly relates to the grander schemes of society, and our sheer surprise that violence ensues because people want to feed themselves.
At the end of the day, you want to control yourself, and there are characters who show the nuance of this dilemma. Catya McCullen has written a funny, thoughtful play, and actors like Emma Orme as Pipsy and Bre Northrup’s Pawsatucky do it justice. Emma Orme is so dedicated to Pipsy’s refined poise that, out of all the cast, you feel she is a cocker-spaniel. Yet, Northrup’s Pawsatucky steals the show as the “white supremacist” cat who wrongfully accuses a “b*tch”, Ryan Wesley Stinnett’s tour-de-force Bull, for shaving her mane, and spends the whole time trying to get revenge. It is both hilarious, and oddly poignant to how white supremacists wrongfully blame “others”, people of color, for their economic/ systemic issues as if we are not struggling, as well. The pussycats are run by some impressive Latinas, Alexandra Slater’s Purria and Juan “Skittlez” Ortiz’s Purritza, who get some of the biggest laughs and command a sense of cool over their aura.
There are so many characters in this play it is hard to pinpoint favor, especially because the cast is so tight in kinship. From Marcus Jones beat-boxing Feelaca to Xavier Velasquez’s voguing Pouty Bitch or from Katherine George’s fierce Yummy to Adama B Jackson’s tongue-wagging Crazy Tongue, everyone brings a physicality to their character that makes them memorable. In terms of music, Scott Allen Klopfenstein has taken pop-rock classics and transformed them cat-dog opuses. While you may laugh, there are some heart-warming renditions like, Tamara Williams’ role as Sofurry and her version of “Dream On”. Yet, the show soars when Hip Hop hits the stage, and Tanyamaria’s Pickles throws in verses that have you calling Nicki Minaj for competition. They leave you dancing in your chair, and further that Locked Up Bitches is easily a good, worthy time.
Locked Up B*tches Is Playing Till March 10 at The Flea Theater. Located: 20 Thomas Street between Church and Broadway. It is 90 minutes with no intermission.
