Big Red and the Boys 

Chicago's About Face Theatre Company Presents "A New Home for the Holidays."

h shows in Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco!

For the past ten years or so Big Red and the Boys have been cheering audiences in Chicago and, more recently, in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and Philly. It is a “Yuletide Cabaret Show” starring Meghan Murphy. She and the guys perform and dance their way through the holidays on stage. The boys, Nick, Andrew, Patrick, and John are back up singers and instrumentalists. The show is “funny and heartwarming” and has been a holiday tradition at Chicago's About Face Theatre / Theater Wit. The perfect tonic for the winter holidays. They have become so popular they have expanded across the country. And no performance is complete until the boys strip down to their long handled union suits. 

Hear are some shots of Big Red with the boys in their bright red holiday underwear:

"Nothing Like Red Union Suits to Brighten the Season!"

Merry Christmas From These Union Suit Fans in the Limelight

Since 2009, The Emperor's New Clothes The Musical, has been performed countless times by elementary to high school kids across the country. The music was composed and lyrics written by Bill Francoeur. Emperor Plumptoe, two weavers, the empress, a jester, and a throng of townsfolk sing and dance their way through this engaging musical featuring seven original songs. When the emperor is tricked into parading before his loyal subject's in his invisible suit, they break into the climactic song, “The Man in the Underpants.” By all accounts, the kids love performing this new take on the time honored fairy tale.

Many plays are based on the story, translated into 100 plus languages, by Hans Christian Anderson of Denmark. Nearly everyone knows the timeless story of the vain emperor who is clothing obsessed to the detriment of his kingdom. Two imposters convince the ruler that they have made him a beautiful suit of clothes like nothing he has ever owned. The magical cloth is invisible to the ignorant. Those who are not fit to serve can't see a thing. Well, you know the story.

After the emperor is paraded before his subjects in his fine new suit of clothes, he is ceremoniously placed upon a royal pedestal to be admired. In reality, he is wearing only his union suit. Soon, a kid spills the beans by pointing out that their unadorned leader “has no clothes.” He's standing there in his underwear! 

Embarrassed to be exposed, wearing nothing but a bright red union suit, the emperor covers his face and turns away while enduring the song, “The Man in the Underpants.”

Having quite enough of the laughter and ridicule, the chagrined emperor jumps down off his pedestal and attempts to run away. 

But he is quickly turned back and forced up on his perch as his subject's resume their “praise.” 

Noah, a 9th grader from Chandler, Arizona, does a great job in his role as the emperor.

Following is the video from their presentation...

https://youtu.be/qLW17L8Y1mQ

In this second video, another boy plays Emperor Plumptoe in boxer shorts rather than the typical red union suit...

https://youtu.be/5ufwvv33v9Q 

and in this last video, the little kids take their turn as an elementary student gives another performance as the Emperor...

https://youtu.be/OlytQZFR6K4?t=663

Union Suit Fans in the Limelight: Henry Poses in His Union Suit!

Seth of Bangor, Maine emailed last week to say that he had enjoyed a new show on Netflix called "Living With Yourself" starring Paul Rudd as Miles Elliot. He said there was a scene in Season 1, Episode 4 wherein the boyfriend of Miles' sister posed in his Union Suit so that she might create a sculpture. Coincidentally, I had viewed a couple of episodes of this new show myself and thought it really good. You see, Miles was unhappy with this life. He had heard from a co-worker that a strip mall spa could help make him a new man. Desperate and hopeless, he visited the spa and accepted the owners' guarantee that they could give him a makeover that he would be thrilled with. He paid big bucks for their promise of a new life. In actuality they cloned him and, well, you've got to see the show because from here it's a bit hard to explain.

Anyway, I continued to watch additional episodes and sure enough, the boyfriend poses in his union suit as he dispenses advice to Miles. Pretty entertaining new series. Here are some shots from Episode 4.

Jon Glaser stars as Henry, the boy friend posing in his Union Suit.

From Netflix, October, 2019, "Soul Mate"

"Henry"

Henry and Fred, Models and Union Suit Fans in the Limelight

Long before Henry was posing in his union suit for his girl friend, some 66 years before, Fred Mertz was talked into posing in his union suit for Lucille Ball in an episode of "I Love Lucy,' entitled, "Lucy Becomes a Sculptrus."  In Season Two, Episode 15, dated January 12, 1953, produced by Desilu Productions, Lucy decided she wanted to sculpt the human body. After her husband, Ricky, and best friend, Ethel, turned her down, she convinced Ethel's husband, Fred (William Frawley), to pose for her. He padded down from his New York apartment in his long underwear and socks. He climbed up on a table and posed as a discus thrower. Lucy was thrilled at the prospect of becoming a famous artist. I remember as a boy watching this show in syndication with my parents who loved Lucy.  Here's Lucy and Fred:

Ricky returns home from a day rehearsing at his club, sees Lucy scuplting Fred in his union suit, and bursts out laughing!

Fred steps down to leave but has been standing so long posing, he can not straigten up. Ricky helps him out the door so he can return to his apartment still in his union suit!

Lucy's sculpture of an Olympian discus thrower....

This sculpture of Fred looks similar to Henry's. In television just as in real life, "What goes around comes around!"