(© Alexander Kusak)
The Orion Experience (the titular NYC-based pop band) emerges from the darkness of the stage to the strains of “Children of the Stars.” Led by the hirsute Captain Orion (Orion Simprini) and his robotic first mate, Lindatron (Linda Horwatt), The Orion Experience takes its audience on a journey through the stars, a crash landing in the garden of earthly delights, and a jubilant homecoming. The band is backed up by a phalanx of attractive and muscular dancer-aerialists in body glitter and galactic leotards. Along the way, Orion encounters the Queen of White Lies (Sir Honey Davenport), whose sinister magic will make you feel “hot and sexy.”
It’s all incredibly silly and presented without commentary, which proves to be a wise choice. This isn’t a self-aware send-up of the glam-rock space-opera form (think Flash Gordon), but a massive bear hug to the genre. Dancers robot-walk across the floor, aerialists perform amazing feats of acrobatics, and the Queen of White Lies shoots laser beams out of her press-on nails. Everybody gets down. The band performs some of their biggest hits including “Obsessed With You” and “Love Saves the Day.” Resistance is futile in the face of such infectious joy.
More than anything, this is a fist-pumping rock-concert experience with only the thinnest veneer of a plot. The audience remains standing throughout the 75-minute show, moving around as performances materialize on every inch of the floor. Reef Rox has expertly engineered the sound so that each lyric and note is perfectly audible. With the aid of wireless technology, the band wanders through the crowd, having close encounters with the audience in a way that few live musicians do.
Everyone seems genuinely happy to be at this show, the performers most of all. They give 100 percent, as evidenced by the copious perspiration accumulating on their brows. Pity the poor wardrobe assistant tasked with laundering the wigs, but don’t let your guilt stop you from buying a ticket.
