Weekend Review: First Night Frolic

The year that was 2010 went out with a bang during First Night, Tacoma’s New Year’s Eve celebration.

The Year of the Rabbit theme, aka Good Bunny, Bad Bunny, brought more bunny ears than a birthday party at the Playboy mansion. And the crowd attempted the largest gathering of bunny hop dancers to ever grace the planet. Official word is still out on that success, but ears large and small were filled with some great music. Some notable acts were Baby Gramps, Uncle Bonsai, Pearl Django, Mud Bay Jugglers and Rumbeggae.

Hands-on art demos and booths filled the Broadway strip with a warren of rabbit moments.
But there was a sour note.

Someone had the bright idea to include a stripper during a number by God’s Favorite Beefcake at the Theater on the Square. Imagine the shock of children and their parents in the audience when the lady in lace went all but full Monty before their eyes. More than half of the crowd left before the song was over.

Someone missed a memo along the line. Either the definition of “family friendly” is different in the arts world or the performers didn’t care that the seats before them were largely filled with children.

The official First Night program made no note of a sexually charged act like the one parents got to talk to their children about as they walked out of the theater. Oooops.