Play review: Broadway bound … and gagged

I admit, I didn’t get the “backdoor” reference in the name of local bar LaRue’s Backdoor (hey, it’s behind O. Henry’s—I figured it was stating the obvious) until thirty minutes of fart, butt, and otherwise irreverant jokes pounded in the message. Plus, the show in question, “Broadway Bound … and Gagged” is in a gay bar. Apparently, I’m rather slow.

But, in my defense, I was there for the inimitable Cookie LaRue, the namesake of the bar and the alter-ego of actor Michael Sheldon. I first discovered Cookie at last year’s Red Ball Fashion Show when the self-professed “irritainer” emceed the event. That nasally Jersey accent, the polyester pant suits, the constant “Thank me!” refrain … who could help but love Cookie?

So, I checked out her standup-meets-revue show at LaRue’s last Friday (May 4). The venue was packed, but welcoming (I was given a turquoise faux-fur chair: That’s service!), and the show (unusual for Asheville) started at 9 p.m. on the dot.

Here’s the premise: Cookie, sent to the Passaic Home for Unwanted Girls at a tender young age, wiled away her days practicing her tap routine until discovered by none other than Connie Francis. From then on, it was a series of near-misses as Cookie auditioned and almost landed high-profile Broadway roles, from the lead in Annie to Grizabella the Glamor Cat in Cats. Claiming to have singlehandedly saved the institution that is musical theater, Cookie reprises her greatest hits (“One singular sensation, every little step I take,” she sings) along with off-color jokes and constant banter with her partner-in-crime, organist Frankie Sitz. “Look,” she announced at one point, indicating a vase of spring flowers on Sitz’ instrument. “You’ve got tu-lips on your organ.”

“This is completely inappropriate for the entire family,” quips press for the performance. And that’s exactly why it’s so good. By the show’s end, when the audience joined in on a rousing chorus of the song Annie made famous and Cookie announced, “You’re all in a queer bar on a Friday night singing ‘Tomorrow,’” I knew I was having a moment.

See the show: Friday, May 18 at 9 p.m., $10. LaRue’s Backdoor is located at 237 Haywood St., 252-1014.

—Alli Marshall, A&E reporter