Dixie's Tupperware Party

Ars Nova

This is a Tupperware party, make no mistake. Did I buy Tupperware? In words that Dixie Longate, the host might use, "You bet your ass I did."

Just when you thought the city that had everything, well, had everything--along comes Dixie Longate and her Alabama Tupperware and you realize that the City That Never Sleeps was missing something after all.

Oddly, I have seen two shows about reminiscent kitchen ware that comes in bright colors in the last couple of weeks. They had similarities. Both were performed by men, at least I think they were. Both were performed by men who like men, at least I think this is true, too. Both men found something in kitchen ware that they needed and were not expecting to find. Both men currently hail from the South, as far as I can tell. And, both men played on our memories of being young children in the kitchen, to some extent.

There are differences, though, too. Dixie's Tupperware Party is like a stand-up act with a product. American Fiesta was more of a drama with a couple of laughs. American Fiesta seemed mostly true. While it was hard to tell what was true and what was false at the Tupperware Party, including the hosts wonderful breasts, which turned out be (spoiler here), you guessed it, Tupperware.

In spite of being a good stand-up act with a very mixed audience the night I went (the old Tupperware lady crowd, young, hip gay men, date night for a few man/woman couples in the audience, old and young) the show had a story and a point and worked on many different levels.

It worked first and foremost by mixing our memories of something pure with irreverence and a pretty dirty mouth. This is a sure-fire shot at a good laugh, and it might not have worked for four hours, but certainly worked for the hour and a half we were there.

Secondly, it worked by blatantly being 'consumeristic.' It is almost reverse advertising when someone is tongue-in-cheek begging you to buy a product and telling you how rich it will make them. And, in an advertisement rich culture it is refreshing when someone is honest about their motives for selling a product, and when they themselves call it crap, "brand-name, high quality crap" I think was the line, but crap all the same. The honesty ironically works to make you want to buy more. There is delight in the honesty and in the pitch because it is surprising and it treats the consumer as savvy instead of gullible. This worked for me the night I saw this, and it has worked for me when I have seen it in advertising before. It's a gimmick, but it is one I like.

The host, Dixie Longate, certainly is entertaining. The set was wonderful. The carpet was the best, as it went up a little bit on two walls. It was almost an exact replica of what I have always imagined when I hear the words 'wall-to-wall' carpeting. The theater was a mere 10 blocks it seemed from almost any subway station, which made it feel like it was in the middle of absolutely Manhattan nowhere, which is unfortunate because it is a nice theater, just a bit harder to get to than normal.

I would recommend this. I would have been slightly embarrassed if I had been sitting next to my parents, though, and we are pretty open. Some of the material was a bit, uhm, graphic. However, if you are looking for something light-hearted and fun with a bar that is open during the entire show, go for it. I did, and now I am just waiting 7-10 days for my Tupperware. They take Visa, by the way. No cash necessary.