WTF in a Good Way: Goodbar at Under the Radar

The Public Theater’s Under the Radar festival is happening right now, and last night, I checked out Goodbar, a rock concert/opera about a nice woman from New York City who has scoliosis as a child, and who grows up to teach deaf children, and who reads a lot, and who trolls bars looking for violent men and ends up brutally murdered by one of them. And it’s based on a true story.

Rife with bloody, porn-y video montages, Alexander McQueen-ish my-body-has-been-turned-inside-out costumes, a noisy rock score, a cameo by Moby, and some choice necrophilic detail, Goodbar is probably not for people who can’t handle such things. But if you can manage the grownup stuff, it’s a trip. I had nightmares after, but that’s probably the whole point.

Also notable is The Public Theater’s social media policy during the festival. At Goodbar, patrons were encouraged to snap photos of the show, and we did. Notable, from this experience: It’s actually completely difficult to hover over your phone and watch a live performance at the same time.

Anyway, here are some photos. And while this definitely is not an ad for the new iPhone, let’s just say that my rad roommate Sarah, who took the first four photos, has one, and I do not.