Do you really want to hurt me?

My wife is a fan of Boy George -- or of his 80s music with Culture Club, anyway -- and so dragged me to the Broadway show/disaster Taboo last night. She wanted to go before it closes next month. I could see why the critics hated it. It has a lot of structural problems, including a subplot that takes over the story, and, despite the subject matter, the approach is way too old-fashioned. Each character gets a corny "show stopping" song to sing. The best bits were the outrageous costumes and make-up, and the effective recreations of Culture Club hits, like "Church of the Poisoned Mind." The lead actor looks and sounds exactly like BG's 80s incarnation. It was more or less enjoyable if you didn't think too much.

Funniest moment: The real Boy George, dressed in a glittery frock, comes out on stage to deliver some ad libs and addresses the audience as "My fellow Republicans . . ."

When we got home, we tried to play some of my wife's Culture Club records, but discovered that our dusty old turntable needs a new stylus. I guess the 80s really are over.