‘Fifty Shades’ parody cracks whip

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Yes, "Spank!" is a spoof "Fifty Shades of Grey." But it’s not so irreverent that it fails to have a fantasy-worthy dude at the center of attention.

"The lead male is unabashedly sexy," writer-director Jim Millan promises of the comedy show that plays the Rio today and Saturday.

"There are some fantasy sequences where (the audience) is literally screaming like they’re at a Justin Beiber concert," he says.

Patrick Whalen has worked as an actor, martial artist, bodyguard and model. The screams begin when he makes his entry. "Part of that is them greeting the character from the ‘Fifty Shades’ book, but it’s also our presentation," Millan says.

Millan is grounded in the Second City/Kids In The Hall school of sketch comedy. This inevitable "Fifty Shades" spoof was crafted by three writers as well as its three performers.

"The hardest audience to play to is a comedy writing room," Millan says.

The spoof also targets "Twilight" and the larger trend of female fantasy literature. Millan wonders if the "Fifty Shades" phenomenon stems from "a great interest in erotica and sensuality that was present, but not really expressed in pop culture until now."

"I think that has to do with women owning their own fantasy life publicly in a different way than before," he says.

Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0288.