UNDERDRESSED, OVERDELIVERING

A skimpy premise
with substantial talent.

The Skivvies

The Skivvies—aka Nick Cearley and Lauren Molina, along with their guests—put on a sassy, energetic, anything-goes show. Their particular Dress Code is Undress. Yes, as suggested by the daring duo’s choice of the antique slang word for garments, their gutsy gimmick is that everyone performs in underwear—briefs or boxers, plain or fancy, cute or kinky. Although their winter-night gig at The Laurie Beechman Theatre was a cold one, even long johns proved too much clothing for this crowd.

Nick Cearley

Lauren Molina

Taking its cue from Valentine’s Day, the Feb. 12 show, A Heart Act to Follow, offered songs and stories about romance. No, it’s not a blush-inducing striptease, but a cheeky, body-positive, positively goofy kind of thing. Cearley and Molina, both musical-theater veterans, have been at it for years, combining songs of wildly different genres, like a tossed salad of caviar, candied apples, and roast skunk.

Andy Mientus

Leslie McDonel

Brash and bubbly guests included A.J. Shively, Andy Mientus, Leslie McDonel, Tyler Conroy (wearing angel wings), and Jordan Kai Burnett. Pianist Brian Nash and drummer Sonny Ratcliff added musical punch while the two multi-tasking Skivvies played various instruments. There were songs, chatty anecdotes, and slip-ups ad-libbed into the frivolity, flying by the seats of their underpants. An audience member’s cellphone was borrowed and a text chain instantly became song lyrics. Decidedly gay-friendly and irreverent, with some sexual innuendo (subtle or not), the show can be juvenile and labored—or inspired. It all depends on your sense of humor (and whether you’ve had a cocktail). There’s also strutting and stripping down to underwear so that some more “special” styles of undergarb have greater impact.

Jordan Kai Burnett

Nick Cearley and Lauren Molina

The Skivvies have been punnily called an “undie-rock band,” but they are so much more than a gimmick. They sing and play instruments so well that one wants them to do more songs on the level of their talents rather than disposable ditties and mindless hits marketed to teens. As they say about the weather in a volatile period—”If you don’t like the weather, wait a minute and it will change”—their mega-mash-ups don’t linger too long on any one item. They do songs that are nice, nostalgic, or nutty just long enough for them to be recognized, relished, or reviled, typically linked by a common keyword or subject. So, “Hurt So Good” leads to “Hit Me with Your Best Shot.” “I Kissed a Girl” leads to “Kiss Me” from Sweeney Todd (which Miss Molina herself performed many times when she played Johanna on Broadway).

A.J. Shively

The finale’s montage featured songs sharing the word “happy,” and the directive to “Get Happy” had already been followed by many in the enthusiastic crowd of fans and newcomers. That’s an apt description of the audience’s mood at curtain call. I just wish more of the songs deserved performers this talented.

Nick Cearley and Lauren Molina

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

photos by Michael Hull

The Skivvies: A Heart Act to Follow
The Laurie Beechman Theatre
407 W. 42nd St. in New York City
performed Feb. 12, 2026
for future shows, visit The Skivvies
videos from the show can be found on YouTube

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

Tyler Conroy