Brightest Young Things

all words: Rachel Eisley
all photos: Rachel Eisley and Chris Chen

Well, ABJ and Lil Dutch have done it again.  Selling out all three shows before curtain, Elvis Birthday Fightclub rocked the house, the audience's appetite for oh-so-mature combo of T&A + cartoon violence was most certainly sated, at least for the evening.  Keeping the format of last year’s Fight Club, a mix of celebrities (Martha Stewart vs. Muppet's Swedish Chef), ironic concepts (Secretly Horny lil Amish Girl vs. the Mysteriously Vibrating Robot), good ole’ NPR fodder (the Abe Lincoln $5 Dollar Bill vs. the Euro), and last but not least, delightfully absurd concepts (Georgetown Cupcake vs. Cart Hotdog) proudly duked it out in honor of the King’s campy legacy with hilariously smutty silliness and ridiculously silly smut.

Interluding burlesque performances were spot on, full of hidden identities and death defying stunts, costuming impeccable with glitter forever and pasties a-twirling. Although, at least one thumb down for the 9:30 show audience who largely missed the memo that 1) Yes, it’s actually OK to look and 2) Yes, you have permission to holler, in fact, it’s encouraged! (Alright alright, maybe it was their first time...I’ll be gentle.)

Elvis and Kitty Glitter bravely manned the helm, (despite the occasional careening towards the rocks, perhaps because the captains were randier than the passengers?) always managing to veer away in the nick of time towards a better joke, weirder fight strategy, or more awesomely distasteful erotic pairing.  ABJ/Lil Dutch created a spectacle to remember, once again reiterating why DC isn’t such a bad place to be an artist and theater-goer, for that matter. (Take that, Big Apple!)

Previously in Live DC:

• 5/22: LiveDC: Spirit Animal @ Red Palace
• 5/22: LiveDC: Astra Via @ Black Cat
• 5/22: LiveDC: Father John Misty @ Rock & Roll Hotel
• 5/22: LiveDC: Drive-By Truckers and Lucinda Williams @ Merriweather
• 5/22: Photos: Summer Camp takes the "Ladies of Town" Drag Show
• 5/22: LiveDC: Penguin Prison & Class Actress @ RNR Hotel
• 5/21: LiveDC: James Morrison @ 930 Club
• 5/21: Photos: Que Sera L'Anniversaire @ Napoleon
• 5/21: LiveDC: La Sera/ Beach Week @ Red Palace
• 5/21: LiveDC: The Black Keys & Arctic Monkeys @ Merriweather Post Pavilion