Before I went to see The World of John Wallowitch, I didn't know that John Wallowitch is a New York City cabaret icon who has had everybody from Tony Bennett to Margaret Whiting record his songs. I wasn't aware that Andy Warhol created the cover for his first album. And I had no idea that Tosos II, the theater company that produced The World of John Wallowitch, practically founded Off-Off-Broadway and the gay theater movement. But I didn't need to know any of that to enjoy the show.
The show is a musical revue, stringing together 16 songs spanning the breadth of Wallowitch's career. There is no plot, and there are no characters to interfere with the audience's drinking (due to a two-drink minimum) and toe tapping. Plus, there are heavy doses of wit, sarcasm, and charm.
The show started off a bit slow. The first few songs were enjoyable, but failed to grab my attention. But Heather Olt soon had me doubling over with laughter with her rendition of "Dutch Ecology." The song itself is extremely sexually suggestive, tap-dancing along the line dividing naughty and dirty without ever crossing over. Yet Olt performed with such straight-faced na
