"The genius director/choreographer Austin Mccormick's Company XIV remains one of the most exciting performing arts companies New York has to offer...In between specialty acts, McCormick's ensemble, who always flash exuberant personalities, perform the company's signature can-cans, model an imaginative array of fetish gear and even partake in something resembling a sheep orgy. But remarkably, it all comes off as giddy and good-natured fun."
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"If there is one thing director/choreographer Austin McCormick (Company XIV) can be accused of it's that he consistently puts on a titillating, atmospheric and imaginative show...The show gets off to a slow start with an abbreviated take on the classic can-can dance...The show picks up steam later in the act when Paris and Mercury (played by the chiseled Todd Hanebrink) dance a beautiful pas de deux to Vivaldi...Momentum builds with the competition between the three goddesses."
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"Company XIV has applied its inimitable Baroque-Burlesque style to the Greek myth of the Judgement of Paris for the second time and come up with an adults-only entertainment that is like nothing else you will see this year. Conceived, directed and choreographed from the fevered imagination of Austin McCormick, ‘Paris!’ combines the arts of dance, opera, circus, theater, storytelling and high fashion to tell of the competition between the goddesses for the Golden Apple."
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"It’s meant to be enjoyed with liberal drinks and food, and the focus here is on the dancing, circus, and the costumes (by a gifted Zane Pihlstrom); the story is irrelevant...The Irondale Center's problem is its size. I wanted a cozier sense of seduction to wrap me in at 'Paris!' And, in the balcony, I struggled with the sound, missing entire speeches of dialogue...Only noticeable in comparison to the rest of the perfection of the evening’s offerings."
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"There is a ton of talent both on the stage and behind the scenes here, but it’s a very adult entertainment, presented in an unusual manner. It is a completely unique, dazzling, riveting, mash-up of entertainment genres...But don’t expect to be titillated, expect to be enchanted...'Paris' is an immersive experience that wouldn’t be possible without the brilliant collaboration between all the designers who create an entire world apart from everyday reality."
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"The audience with Paris easily falls in love with each character along the way...You really don’t need to be that familiar with the mythological tale, because 'Paris' is about the intimacy, extravagance, opulence, skillfulness, and playful humor that is so specific to this company; it starts when you enter the venue and ends sometime after the show is over and you’ve already exited -- like a piece of glitter stuck to your cheek, it stays with you."
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"Makes the cold fall nights in New York hot and sexy again...From the dim pink light in the bathroom, to the silky cushions on the couches and tart pinching of champagne in your mouth, XIV tunes the mood through every element that accompanies the theater viewing experience, making it truly immersive...I must say that the choice would be very difficult if I were asked to pick the most fascinating performance…It’s wonderful that you don’t have to choose and can enjoy every number equally."
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"There are many elements that make this show special, but perhaps its most universal appeal is that 'Paris' shines light on a great many facets of human sexuality. There are moments of tawdry thrusting and heaving piles of quaking bodies; yet there are, too, silhouettes of lovers that steal one’s breath away, and even quieter moments of solitude and fear that expose the vulnerabilities integral to human sexuality. In 'Paris,' sex is funny, scary, beautiful, sad, and, ultimately, a mystery."
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