Review: At Least It's Pink

Sometimes the most inspiring shows come from surprising places. At Least It's Pink is the vehicle of Bridget Everett, quite possibly New York's trashiest, brassiest, and sluttiest karaoke-loving waitress. Accompanied by Kenny Mellman and directed by Michael Patrick King, Bridget Everett is a force to be reckoned with.

Bold doesn't begin to describe the gusto with which Bridget commands the stage, clad in fishnets, black shorts (sometimes), and a snake-printed bustier that contains not just her more-than-ample assets, but other items such as keys, post-it memos written to herself, and a rogue pringle. With songs she co-wrote with Kiki & Herb's Kenny Mellman (who, as always, provides fabulous and rich piano stylings), Bridget catalogues her adventures in life and love, from getting knocked up on prom night, to waiting tables at Ruby Foo's, to anonymous hookups with hundreds, if not thousands of men, most of them black (girl knows what she likes). What she lacks in standards and class, she makes up for tenfold in zesty appeal. Michael Musto, as always, know just how to put it: "The big girl is a large talent - picture Wynonna Judd meets Melissa Etheridge via the local bar floozy, on a rocket ship out of Twin Peaks." Copy that!!

Of all the shocking things in the show, of which there are oh-so-many, the biggest surprise of all is how inspiring At Least It's Pink ends up being. Bridget is a large woman who makes no apologies for living her life just like she likes it. Whether it's her love of her "canhole" or nipping sips of mom's Cutty Sark in high school, it's all on display, in your face, and ready to be taken out for a party. Watching Bridget celebrate her own inner (and outer!) beauty left me and my friends literally dancing through the streets of Hell's Kitchen, inspired by her reckless abandon - no, destrucion of every last inhibition.

At Least It's Pink plays at Ars Nova through March 11. Visit Ars Nova for info.

P.S. - Check out cool articles about At Least It's Pink from Time Out NY and the NY Post.