Northern Exposure

Everyone tried to be so grown-up and artsy about it, but now that The Covey  Theatre Company’s production has wrapped up its Syracuse run of “The Graduate,” can we dispense with burying the lead?

MOE HARRINGTON WAS NUDE ON STAGE!!!!

.

RIGHT HERE IN SYRACUSE, N.Y.

FOR, LIKE, A WHOLE MINUTE OR SOMETHING.

AND I SAW IT!!!!

photo courtesy of www.ameliabeamish.com

The first lady of Central New York theater, playing the iconic role of Mrs. Robinson, took it all off in a poignant, discretely lit scene. In doing so she joined an elite group of entertainers who have performed au naturel in local venues that don’t require a two-drink minimum.

“I thought of it as just another costume change -- a very tight costume with a slight breeze,” Moe told KramerPost.

Nine weeks of grueling workouts and eating mainly egg whites and cottage cheese transformed the curvy diva into a cut cougar. From my first-row vantage Saturday at The BeVard Studio , I was mightily impressed. On top of everything, I think there was a play going on.

 The highpoint came when I turned to my wife Leigh to discover that her view of Moe was blocked by another actor, some young guy who was definitely not nude. For reasons I cannot explain, this made me extremely happy.

Moe said afterwards that she felt “supported” by the audience and cast.

“A few middle aged women came up and thanked me for doing it as a show of solidarity for all women.” 

This is, perhaps, progress -- a sign of an  evolving Syracuse primed to doff its cloak of dowdiness and embrace a more open-minded ethos. 

“There were people who didn’t come to the show because of the nudity, and that’s fine,” Moe said. “But at the end of the day you can’t complain about something you’ve never seen, otherwise you’re a Republican.”

Incidentally, Moe will be in my new play, Reaching for Marsby, next March. The current script calls for her to appear fully clothed. In light of recent events, a major rewrite is underway.