On the evening of Friday, Feb. 14, the Bottletree will host Romantically Challenged, a throwback to the ruffled shirts, leisure suits and single entendres of The Dating Game’s heyday. The event will benefit the Lyric Theatre and the LGBTQ SHOUT Film Festival.
Hosted by local young person Max Rykov, the night will consist of four rounds of The Dating Game – two for straight contestants of either gender and two for gay contestants of either gender, including one for Guinevere Turner, noted indie actress and screenwriter of Mary Harron’s excellent adaptation of American Psycho. Turner is a friend of Green Central Station owner and event co-producer Nancy Tran, and has generously agreed to fly in for the event.
After the Dating Game portion of the evening, the night will move into a version of The Newlywed Game (actual newlyweds not required) and, eventually, a dance party for everyone in attendance.
The tie-ins for the event are nothing short of inspired. New Lakeview brewery Trim Tab will donate beer, and the Crisis Center will sponsor a round of drinks for the poor folks who aren’t chosen during The Dating Game. Harold & MOD and Charm will provide clothing and jewelry, respectively, to spiffy up the contestants.
The event is benefiting two great (and appropriate) causes, too. The Lyric opened in 1914 as a vaudevillian variety theatre, offering a chance at a transgressive night of fun for attendees. And in a tawdry detour from its otherwise proud history, shortly before its close in the early ‘80s, the theater was known as both the Foxy and the Roxy Adult Cinema.
SHOUT is an ideal beneficiary, too, because of the event’s open-mindedness. Acknowledging Birmingham’s lackluster reputation on human rights issues, emcee Rykov said, “I just think it’s cool to put everyone on a level playing field. … A lot of the discussion about gay marriage, especially in the South, has such a dark, serious tone, and this event is the kind of thing that shows just how fun love is.
“Everyone goes through the same worries, whether they’re gay, straight, trans, bi, anything,” Rykov added. “We’re not peddling any issues. The attitude is that everyone’s already equal, so there’s no agenda to push besides everyone being treated as a human being, no matter who you are or what you look like.”
Laughing, Rykov concluded, “I doubt we’ll get any protestors. Maybe asexuals.”
The Bottletree is located at 3719 3rd Ave. S. Tickets to Romantically Challenged are $15. For more information, call (205) 533-6288.