I see naked people.
I saw so many of them for so long that after awhile, I actually began to mostly pay attention to the songs they were singing in the new film "Naked Boys Singing" which had a high-energy premiere last night at the Regency Landmark Theatre on LaBrea.
Virtually the entire cast of talented singers and dancers were there (with their clothes on) but I missed their introduction, getting there just in time to give producer Kirkland Tibbles a hug before the movie started.
The movie is based on the long-running off-Broadway musical comedy review featuring 16 original songs and director Troy Christian landed some real talent for the production. Obviously they had to look good naked which wasn't really a problem since these are first-rate singers and dancers. Things start off very fun with the number "Gratuitous Nudity" and it is true, early on in the film, you do start to forget (a little bit) that they are naked. This is a movie I want the soundtrack from - especially for the numbers "The Naked Maid," "Fight the Urge," "Jack's Song," "Nothin' But the Radio On" and my absolute fave: "Perky Little Porn Star." Also really loved the soaring ballad "Kris Look What You've Missed."
Since I missed the arrivals line before the film and wanted to skip the after-party (enough parties for me this week!), I snagged interviews with three cast members as they made their way out of the theater.
Jason Curie, whose big numbers were "The Entertainer" (a real show-stopper), ""Robert Mitchum," and "Fight the Urge" told me he had absolutely no hestiation about being nude on the big screen.
"I've been nude on stage before and actually in some short films. Nudity to me isn't an issue, it's kind of never been a big deal," said Jason (pictured, above). "It was really exciting to watch it with everybody here and see the positive response. I wasn't nervous until 'The Entertainer' came on then it was kind of a rush of, 'Oh God, here we go.' People laughed once the heels got up on the piano and there we go."
After the opening number, Kevin Stea kicks things off wonderfully with the upbeat and fun "The Naked Maid" which had great choregraphy and props. For Stea, the opening night was "kind of nerve-racking. I have lots of friends here and I definitely feel my shyness coming out. Most of my work that I do for camera, you don't ever get to see the audience reaction to it. Being here with the audience and being naked in front of everybody, it's, startling. I'm happy that the reaction is really positive. If they were booing me then I'd be really upset. I'd be running out the door."
He is confident that gay men will like the movie but he is hopeful for widespread appeal: "Give it a go, leave your inhibitions at home and enjoy the ride. Enjoy the courage of the csst asnd the insight of the writers who wrote the songs. There's a lot of entertainment as well as a really strong message. Hopefully, when people come they won't necessarily just be looking for nudity and that by the end of the film, they won't even notice the nudity anymore because hopefully the pieces will stand on their own."
I had to know: is it hard to dance naked?
Said Kevin: "It depends on the temprature (laughs). Yeah, there are definitely other considerations that you have to think about when you're dancing naked - especially dancing as much as I was dancing.

As I left the theater, I spotted Joseph Keane (pictured, above) waiting for his car. He had brought the house down with his big number "Perky Porn Star" and I wanted to get his thoughts about the night.
"I was really excited about my number so I wasn't really nervous," he said. "It's difficult to do anything naked in front of anyone but yourself. But the process was really fun but it was really nerve-racking at first."
Joseph added: "I didn't have any trepitdation about beiing nude. I more was concerned about the material having not seen it before auditioning. But after talking with Kirkland Tibbles and Troy Christian about their vision, I was really excited."
The title is provocative and the actors certainly are nude, but Joseph assures there is nothing to be afraid of: "Personally for me, I wouldn't have signed on unless I could show this to my mom and my grandma and all my family members so I say go out and see it. I think there's a lot of stereotypes with male nudity and this is just a funloving show that happens to show a lot of make nudity. I think that "The Full Monty" was a big success and I think this is gonna be too."