Come and Check out My 2007 Smash Hit Show show HOT PINK BITS RIDES AGAIN!
This is what it's all about...
Whatever happened to Divine Brown? Can a phone sex operator get RSI? Do people really have sex through a pizza? Frustrated you can't look any of this up on your work computer? Then Hot Pink Bits Rides Again is the show for you.
That's right everyone's favourite dirty girl Penny Ashton is back, and in 2008 she's naughtier than ever. For her show Penny has trawled the ins and..outs of the international sex industry and will tell you all about the lives of the she's, he's, and she-males that make a living in the world's oldest profession.
Resplendent in a hot pink corset, dripping in cheap jewelry and accompanied by Dwight the Ivory-tinkling Home-Schooled boy-Wonder, Ashton will sing, dance and pontificate on porn, prostitutes and Lockwood Smith in a burlesque-esque romp through the kickers of the global sex trade. There'll be a group orgasm, a live sex show, an audience gimp and a very sexy stripper. Songs will be reinvented, fetishes will be indulged and Nana will need a lie down. But of course it will all be done..in the best POSSIBLE taste.
STAY TUNED FOR AUSTRALIAN TOUR 2008
2007 ACCOLADES FOR HOT PINK BITS
TOTALLY SOLD OUT WELLINGTON FRINGE SEASON
NOMINATED BEST COMEDY WELLINGTON FRINGE
BEST OF FEST WINNIPEG FRINGE
BEST BUMPER AND PEELER AND BEST RICKY MARTIN REWRITE WINNIPEG FRINGE
SECOND HIGHEST SELLER SASKATOON FRINGE
TOTALLY SOLD OUT EDMONTON FRINGE
A Lucky Punter in the Porn Scene!
HOT PINK BITSWinnipeg Sun Review
Sex sells Fringe tickets -- so there's really no need to promote New Zealander Penny Ashton's delightfully sleazy set of sketches. But those left outside the bedroom, er, theatre oughta know what they're missing.
After explaining "pink bits" is New Zealand slang for private parts, Ashton (aka Hot Pink) reveals herself -- in a decolletage-boosting (OK, they're practically popping out) bustier gown primed for burlesque.
Starting with a brief history of porn, Ashton sings, shimmies and pulls random audience members along for the, ahem, ride. A string of erotic bits about the origins of prostitution, fetishes you never thought could exist (don't even get us started on the "Roman shower") and how amputees do the deed is sandwiched between interesting sex facts, trivia games (with suitable prizes), a number by Hot Pink's, uh, sock puppet and saucy remakes of Madonna's Hung Up and Ricky Martin's She Bangs.
Audience members are called on to make bedroom sound effects, and while those shy of the subject matter might squirm, Ashton is as warm and self-deprecating as she is bold -- and hilariously sexy.
Sun Rating: 4 1/2 out of 5, Lindsey Ward
Dominion Post Review 12th February 2007
Hot Pink’s Polish
Another show with sex as its centre the one-woman comedy Hot Pink Bits, playing at Bats. Written and performed by former Royal NZ Ballet dancer-turned-comedienne Penny Ashton, this polished and confidently performed show takes an irreverent look at sex that is far from dirty and very, very funny.
It is not so much about how we do it – or don’t – as it is a quirky and fascinating look at things associated with sex, such as fetishes, prostitution and porn. Ashton has done extensive Internet research – saying that when you do a Google search for sex you get 633 million hits but only 144 for world peace – and has come up with many facts and figures that she has woven into an entertaining show.
Numerous well-known songs such as A Few of My Favourite Things are appropriately rewritten and complement the spoken dialogue well. Audience numbers are involved in many parts, often with hilarious consequences. It is just a pity that Ashton is assigned only a five-night season as this highly professional show deserves a much loner run.
Scoop Review 12th February 2007
We all have ‘em , and people spend an awful lot of time thinking about ‘em - Hot Pink Bits! Penny Ashton’s lively show is an energetic hurtle through 7,5000 years of sex-obsessed human social evolution, from Palaeolithic stone idolatry through to Internet dominatri and 0900 relationships.
Based on an awful lot of real-life stories, probably because real-life is so much more ridiculous than fiction can generally devise, Hot Pink Bits is cheerfully irreligious, and delightfully disrespectful of politicians, celebrities and many other desperate wannabes. The full spectrum of perversion is delicately sampled, with a wit that is sharp without ever being cruel.
The audience was happy to be shamelessly manipulated, joining in a general knowledge quiz for prizes, offering up one lucky punter to act in a homage to ‘70s porn, and another to bump and grind, as well as participating en-mass in a stirring group orgasm.
Ms Ashton’s enthusiasm and comedic competency deliver all that is promised, including the splendid corset which renders her remarkable chest remarkably chesty. This spectacularly uplifting garment makes the singing all the more impressive, and her version of My Favourite Things … well, Mary Popins it isn’t. In a very good way.
Opening night was deservedly sold out, and booking is recommended. This is a great evening out, equally fun for grownup boys or girls, whether desperate and dateless or durably coupled. You might even learn something about your own or your friends’ own Hot Pink Bits.
AS INTRIGUING AS IT IS FUNNY
Reviewed by Sian Robertson, 15 May 2007 for Theatreview
Madame Penny welcomes her darling audience into her bawdy, velvety playground to sample delightful vaudevillian songs and fascinating sex facts. It's a history of the sex industry, embellished with theatrical interludes, obscure facts and figures, and audience participation including a pop quiz and a scripted performance from a well known adult film - but don't be afraid, Mistress Hot Pink will never put you on the spot (unless you want her to).
Tackling the entire history of the global sex trade - from the occupational hazards of phone sex to famous porn stars through the ages; from the habits of 5th century empresses to a bit of local history - is such a lot to cram into an hour of comedy she sometimes seems a bit rushed. However, her obvious appetite for the subject matter with all it's thrills and spills, delights and indignities, makes for a sumptuous and carefully selected buffet of juicy material.
This is not just stand-up comedy: Ashton's show is a finely crafted piece of comedic theatre, visually tasty, as intriguing as it is funny, taking us on a unreserved inspection of the evolution of prostitution, the advent of the adult film, the takeover of video and then the internet, etc. Encased in a fabulous pink corset her remarkable lungs hit us with a raunchy, resonant voice and several naughty versions of a few popular songs, such as 'A Few of My Favourite Things'...
It's just really refreshing to see someone having such a ball broaching every imaginable angle of sex-for-sale without a hint of shyness, or resorting crass gags. Obviously the audience weren't that squeamish or they wouldn't have come to an act called Hot Pink Bits, but anyone that was a bit timid at first was put at ease by the end of the show by Ashton's warm, enveloping, gutsy and fun manner.
Despite touching on some of the political aspects of the sex trade, including pointing out a few absurd laws and the obvious gender issues, it's never an excuse for a rant. Our mischievous Madame keeps the tone light, celebratory, and witty, delving into the odder side of our preferences and tendencies with a playful and well-researched abandon.
If you're at all interested in openly and humorously exploring the subject of sex (and let's face it, who isn't a little bit curious about other people's pink bits and what they do with them?) you'll love this show.
My only complaint: the seats in the Classic Studio are a pain in the buttocks so you might want to take a cushion (unless of course, you like a bit of pain with your pleasure). I couldn't help wondering if anyone noticed the Hot Pink Bits audience limping out gingerly, looking like they got a lot more than their money's worth!?
