Boy, oh, Boy George. Why are you so weird and why do I love this album so much? Not sure, but let’s take a look:

In the early 2000s, Rosie O’Donnell, America’s leader in daytime talkshows and Lesbian family values, decides to finance the entire (short lived) Broadway run of the semi-successful West End Boy George biopic play (biopsical?) Taboo. Some of the libretto is, yes, tasteless, filthy, and unneccesarily descriptive, with the Act 1 song titled “I’ll Have You All” seemingly the main source of depravity. There is fairly descriptive insight into Boy George’s moral influences and the dark world of the 1980s London gay sex club scene. I’m not sure if 2003 America really understood what was happening on stage, as I’ve never really considered Boy George a major celebrity or role model in any way on this side of the pond. Additionally, in retrospect, it was slightly a creepy showcase considering his “legal troubles” involving kidnapping, chaining to a wall, and then beating a male escort with a metal chain horrifying acts of violence only a few years later. After this and a string of other not-so-great stories in the mid/late 2000s, I slid my copy of Taboo into a drawer and let it collect dust for many years. I never wanted to associate myself with Boy George when I was young and teenage me felt almost betrayed when I heard about his history of violent behaviour.

Despite the confusing story, weird vibes, and an akward introduction (for many Americans, or rather, at least for me) to Leigh Bowery, I will admit the recreations of costumes, lights, and sounds, are entertaining and dazzling, and make for good theatre. In addition to the dazzle of the exciting gay nightclub scene, we are treated to, not a Boy George jukebox musical, but rather an original score. Yes, we get to hear Karma Chameleon and Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?, but only in short snippits, and George’s music from the 1980s is not the focus of the score.

Act 1 is a whirlwind of druguse, sexual devience, and cross dressing and we are introduced to about 10 different characters, some male, some female, and some inbetween, who all play a role in the story telling. I will admit it is hard to bring myself to fully empathize with George’s story, and I can’t keep track of the characters, but there’s something about this show that draws me in. Act 1 brings us some unforgettable rock opera moments with “Stranger in this World,” “Genocide Peroxide.” and “I’ll have you all”, the latter being, not great, but definitely unforgettable.

With Act 2 they seem to cram in about 6 (actually really good) ballads and there is a storyline of the loss of Bowery to AIDS. I’m not sure what the moral of the story is, nor am I sure I am required to know the moral in order to enjoy the music. Maybe it’s about being yourself and finding your own version of community? Not sure. All I know is that hearing a young Esparza, Morton, lesser known Jeffery Carlson, and longtime broadway Sarah Uriarte is a treat and they really did the best they could with what will always remain very strange source material.

All in all, listen to this show if you want some fun melodies, beautiful ballads, and exceptional vocal talent. Also “Ich Bin Kunst” is a rather fun track.