Spank Bank Time Machine is Fringy!
I first met John Michael, the creator and star of “Spank Bank Time Machine” in the Know Underground on Friday night. He unabashedly started chatting me up and telling me about his show. His energy washed over me like a tidal wave; I was certainly intrigued.
His 60-second preview again piqued my interest as he talked about the word “inappropriate” being a term used to keep people from having to discuss things that make them uncomfortable.
You will likely be very uncomfortable during “Spank Bank Time Machine.” The first five minutes of his monologue is perhaps the most sexually explicit you’ll ever hear in live quasi-mainstream theatre. And it’s highly interactive, though, don’t worry - John Michael also clearly believes strongly in consent.
And then, he reveals his mankini.
But also, he tells stories of his chosen family - people he’s lost to overdose deaths from opioid addiction. He talks about his own grief, both over his friends and also over his mother, whom he channels for a bulk of the production. (This is, in fact, a sequel to his previous show “Meatball Seance.”)
Interwoven in the “inappropriateness” of the script are some heartwarming and touching moments. And John Michael wraps up the show with a very important educational experience about Narcan (which he also gives out to those who want it, thanks to Hamilton County Public Health and Caricole.)
I think hanging out with John Michael would be equally invigorating as it would be exhausting. In fact, I was pretty worn out by the end of his hour-long solo show. But I also left smiling and basking in the authenticity of it all.
To me, that’s “fringy.”
SPANK BANK TIME MACHINE has more performances on these dates:
Wednesday, June 7 at 6:45 PM
Friday, June 9 at 8:30 PM
Saturday, June 10 at 6:45 PM
Sunday, June 11 at 8:30 PM
Tickets and more information can be found here.
ncG1vNJzZmismJrAorzPspqroaSesG%2B%2F1JuqrZmToHuku8xop2ieop67qLGMrKeapptir6K6ymaroqWVYrqir8eipZ5lmag%3D