(OUTview NW) RE-view: WET's 99 Ways to F**K, is a clever testament of Sexual Deviance!

Higgins' Dave wants more than a feather         WET

by MK Scott

It isn't often that I get to see a play called, 99 Ways to FUCK a Swan (by Kim Rossenstock), just the name alone was enough for some people to attend. From the Synopsis, I knew it started with the Greek Mythology of Leda and the Swan (actually Zeus turns into the swan).

Bannon's Michelangelo has more than Art on his mind   WET

In this WET Production, currently at Seattle's 12th Avenue Arts, we first see the cute and geeky, Dave (Ryan Higgins), a self-proclaimed present day, Sexual Deviant who is obsessed with committing Bestiality with his neighbor's cat and as part of therapy, takes a writing course and as well to introduce his Kink desire to his teacher, Fiona (Jonelle Jordan), and writes the story of Michelangelo's Painting, Leda and the Swan.  As the Greek Myth, We Meet Leda (Leah Salcido Pfenning) in a sexless marriage with Tyndareus (Martyn Krouse) who traps Leda in a Greek Cave. and then the story jumps ahead to the 16th Century Italy when Michelangelo (The always sensational, Devin Bannon) is commissioned by the jealous Alfonso (Jose Abaoag) to paint a love scene for his philandering wife Lucrezia (The exotic, Kamaria Hallums-Harris), but ends up painting the seduction of Leda by said swan.  Michelangelo is secretly trysting with  Francisco (The welcome and full frontal sight of Alex Garnett, who we last saw in Artwest's The Little Dog that laughed, in which he also had a full frontal nude scene) and In Victorian England, Rudolph (Also Abaoag) buys the painting over his wife, Mary's (Kathy Hsieh) objections and becomes fixated on it. Mary takes a Lover, Clyde (Garnett).

From scene to scene to century to century we see the mostly a white paper set by Tommer Peterson being torn to shreds and even people's costumes were pure white and some made with the crumbled paper from a previous performance, as in this case Pfenning's Leda.

Suddenly Michelangelo is propositioned by a fully nude, Lucrezia, who demands her eyes and breasts to be in the painting of Leda. Dave then starts to lose it as Lucrezia is purring like a cat and he goes after the neighbor's Cat. (Yes, a Real Cat was on hand for realism). Even Dan Savage who makes a Podcast style audio cameo can't seem to offer any advice for Dave as he reaches to the Breaking point..Meow!

Suddenly Fiona figures it out as all the stories come together in One explosive finale. All or Most of the stories were interesting to watch as the subject matter all laid together as not all sex is sick (or offensive), but it is just how you react to it.

WET's 99 Ways to Fuck a Swan runs through Oct. 12 at 12th Ave Arts in Seattle, WA. Click HERE for Tix and info and get ready for their NEXT production called, The Motherfucker with the Hat (January 15 - February 1, 2016)