A Little Night Music
April 20th, 2007 by Lola
Damn it, Janet, Rocky is no longer the champ. These days, a new sing-a-long sensation is slaying the nation – it’s Buffy! At the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Sing-A-Long, kazoos, bubbles, streamer explosions and Fabio all add up to an unforgettable evening of homage to the show’s legendary musical episode, “Once More with Feeling.”
When I arrived at the West Village’s IFC Center at 11:20 p.m. (45 full minutes before the screening), about 25 hardcore Whedon enthusiasts were already queued up. Twenty short minutes later, Sing-A-Long Xander, a.k.a. Joshua Ziesel, was passing out (free!) blood-red gift bags with all the tools necessary to enjoy the night—kazoos for the dramatic climax, bunny pencil erasers in honor of Anya’s irrational fear, monster finger puppets, and, of course, vampire teeth.
Once I—and 310 of my closest friends in Buffy—had nestled into the auditorium, Giles, a.k.a. Sing-A-Long founder Clinton McClung, hosted a quick round of Buffy Jeopardy that only diehard disciples of Buffy dared attempt. On other nights, cast members are brought to the stage to challenge fellow slayerphiles’s acting chops in Buffyoke.
Once the show got rolling, and everyone in the crowd began to sing to their unstaked hearts’ content. Subtitles were provided for newbies, but most everyone seemed to have the lyrics down pat. Like any true sing-a-long, music wasn’t the only interactive element of the evening. The most popular response was fueled by true Buffy lovers’ distaste for the slayer’s sister/mystical underworld portal key Dawn. Prompted by signs held by the actress who played Dawn, the crowd responded with a loud “Shut up, Dawn!” any time Buffy’s kid sis said something stupid (or just spoke at all). And Fabio? (Warning, spoilers!) You must be wondering about how Fabio fit in to this mish-mash of musicality. Well, let’s just say, Buffy gets a hunka-hunka man during her sexy/sultry/sinful kiss with Spike at the end of the episode.
After the 51-minute musical, the actors playing all of the parts danced on stage, and the earlier Jeopardy winner got to revel that his choice of episode would be played next. Around 2:30, I brushed the sleep out of my eyes and dispensed a big au revoir to the cult of Whedon.
The only thing Rocky has on this baby is costumage. Sure, there were some awesome shirts – “Joss Whedon Is My Master Now” and the awesome “iSlay” variation on the colorful iPod ads from a few years back – but Buffy fans, it seems, are more serious about their singing skills than dressing in the style of Willow, Anya and the Scooby Gang.
The Buffy Sing-A-Long happens every month at the IFC Center. There are also branches in Boston, Austin, Chicago and Milwaukee. The next Sing-A-Long is tonight and tomorrow, so pull that (blood stain-repellent) dress out now!
For those of us who might be considered Buffy ignorami, there’s no need to fear. The stand-in Scoobies welcome anyone, even those who didn’t spend every Tuesday night in high school and college glued to the WB (or UPN during the dark years). To catch up, I suggest Netflix-ing a few key DVDs from the later seasons or perhaps spending a slow day at work now and again reading the snarky Buffy recaps at Television Without Pity. For those of you who are more committed… Buffy marathon at my house?