Nina Metz

"American Pie" put to rest the notion once and for all that band geeks never get laid with that infamous "One time at band camp..." revelation. Plenty of band kids have sex, to which I can attest since I was a teenage music camper myself, and to all you doubters out there, I've got two words: practice cabins. Nearly the first half of "Band Geeks: A Halftime Musical," set in that gloriously cheesy era known as 1989, takes place in band camp, and for this alone it is worth seeing. Unfortunately, the momentum doesn't sustain and the show drowns in plot-heavy devices, a good twenty-minutes worth that need trimming. But as late-night entertainment goes, you could do a lot worse. Where else are you going to hear someone say that banana clips are "always the right choice?" Writers Becky Eldridge and Amy Petersen channel all those quintessential eighties flicks, from "Lucas" and "Revenge of the Nerds," to everything by John Hughes. To their credit, they've created something vastly superior to a parody or pastiche of these films. The world of "Band Geeks" may feel as familiar as homeroom, but it is also entirely unique. Lis Dunson and Dori Goldman are standouts as a pair of slutty, clarinet-totting seniors in frosted lipstick, as is Cynthia Francesconi who portrays the outcast Goth Girl whose voice is two octaves lower than everyone else's. The musical numbers (by director Andy Eninger) are pretty funny, too--especially the ultra-corny, proto-hip-hop song, "The Music's In You." Flat-out hilarious, however, are the actual halftime marching formations (as the band "plays" eighties classics like "Come On Eileen" and "Mr. Roboto") that choreographer Paula Stein has squeezed onto Live Bait's tiny stage. That's some funny shit.

"Band Geeks" plays Saturday nights at Live Bait Theater, 3914 North Clark, (773)935-2747, through August 13. (2005-07-21)

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