Oh! Calcutta!

A major theatrical phenomenon, Oh! Calcutta! began life as a modest stage production in 1969 before finally graduating to Broadway in 1976, where it ran for nearly 6,000 performances over the next 13 years. A revue with contributions by such distinguished literary and cultural luminaries as creator Kenneth Tynan, Samuel Beckett, Sam Shepard, Jules Feiffer, and even John Lennon, the Jacques Levy-directed show celebrated the “sexual revolution” with skits, songs, and dance numbers, with characters often performing in the nude. This DVD features a poorly videotaped 1971 mounting with the original cast, among whom the only recognizable performer is stage veteran Bill Macy, who played opposite Bea Arthur in the sitcom Maude. Sadly, the years have not been kind to Oh! Calcutta!: the once-provocative comedic segments dealing with swingers, masturbation fantasies, and the seduction of virgins seem almost quaint today—if anything, the show comes off as a cross between an updated burlesque revue and an extra-naughty Benny Hill episode. In today's sex-saturated culture, the once-daring skits don't pack nearly the same wallop as they might have in the ‘70s, and present-day viewers are likely to consider Oh! Calcutta! an interesting curio, but nothing more. Optional. Aud: C, P. (E. Hulse)