9 Things About “Terminator Too: Judgment Play” That Rock

Part of the motley crew of Terminator Too.
(Photo credit: Thomas Blake.)

“How could they possibly put Terminator 2: Judgment Day on stage,” you cry? Well, they can’t, but the director and key cast behind Point Break Live! have decided that if you’re gonna try putting James Cameron’s classic sci-fi film in an off-off-Broadway setting, you might as well do it with no money, purposely goofy staging and by pulling the Arnold Schwarzenegger role from the audience at every performance. Terminator Too: Judgment Play has been doing that every Saturday night at Santos Party House in downtown NYC and will continue doing so through August 11. Give in to your camp side and indulge in a hilarious night. It’s only $30 at the door ($25 online).

Here are 9 reasons why Terminator Too: Judgment Play rocks.

No one puts this babe in a corner.
(Photo credit: Thomas Blake.)

1. The audition process is a hoot. On the night I was there, eight people got up to try out for the Ah-nold role, including one young lady, and everybody had to put on their best bad Austrian accent, flex their muscles and attempt to show some acting chops. The two finalists got to ham it up, and the winner won the coveted part, unaware of what they were in for.

2. Watching the winner get in touch with his inner Arnold is great. In our case, we had a guy named Nick Basile who had a beard, sported glasses and a fedora and had a less than perfect body. (He ditched the hat for the show.) Nick was so into the part that the audience loved him. During the intermission he officially introduced himself and said that his friends had brought him out to a show, and he was enjoying it. So were we.

3. To add some sexiness to the show and to aid the audience “star” with dialogue cue cards, a hot Latina maid (Yesenia Ayala) accompanies him everywhere. If you don’t get the joke, research Schwarzenegger’s extramarital affair.

4. The cast camp it up and get their characters down. The actor portraying the T-2000 (Conor Tansey) offers plenty of deadpan comedy, which is good since he cannot actually shapeshift like his onscreen self. And Sarah Connor (Christi Waldon) tosses in a Jerry Sandusky joke for good measure.

5. Audience members who brave the front row have the most fun, getting splattered with foamy water and sticky fake blood (corn syrup and water). Ponchos are essential, and they sell them there for $2. You might have Sarah Connor hide behind you or the T-2000 stare at you while searching for his prey. If you’re lucky, you will get a free tequila shot and the hot Latina maid will fall into your lap. I was fortunate enough to receive both of those perks.

No shapeshifting, but a nice pointy prop.
(Photo credit: Thomas Blake.)

6. The villainous artificial intelligence system that sets off the robot revolution of the future is no longer Skynet. It has been changed to Facebook.

7. There are some brief, fun cameos by outside characters from Back To The Future and Knight Rider. Hey, why not.

8. You can have fun guessing which dialogue was imported from other Ah-nold movies (like Batman Forever).

9. The silly props add to the fun. Super Soakers and a Nerf rifle are used in place of guns while Big Wheels replace or become part of certain “vehicles”. The helicopter is simply a big foam replica. And the video montage parodying the film’s schoolyard annihilation scene features iconic action figures like Skeletor, Trolls and the Tasmanian Devil being melted. Let’s hope they weren’t collectors items.

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