Hyper Gumbo » comedy

Joan Rivers at Benaroya Hall

Don — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:43:10 +0000

What a difference a year can make. Last time I saw Joan Rivers, it was at a casino, a long drive out of town. This year, she’s playing the Seattle Symphony’s main hall, technically within walking distance. I wonder if the show will be any different.

Rocky Horror at OCT

Don — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 14:31:19 +0000

Went and saw the 4pm Sunday production of Rocky Horror at the Open Circle Theater in Belltown. The show was sold out, with a fair number of people paying for the upgraded ‘VIP’ experience. In the end, we didn’t get any special seating, but we did get a couple of crackers and a handful of cheese, with our bubbly. Our ‘surly’ service was amusingly provided by Magenta (Terri Weagant), who also provided the title song. I found it especially amusing to overhear one guy, before they’d opened up the house for seating, asking his date, “so, I’ve never seen the movie, what’s this all about anyways?” Then again, I didn’t get to see it in a theater with all the trimmings when it would have been age appropriate myself either.

They used a live band, complete with Theramin. At times, they overpowered the on-stage singers, but eventually the sound guy found a zone where things seemed to be working OK.
Andrew Murray was a very sexy Rif Raf, must catch him in more productions where skin will be involved =p He does a very good sneer and leer. Josh Hartivgson’s Frank N Furter was interesting. He made a suitably shocking transvestite, tall and decidedly masculine no matter what he was wearing. Full of enthusiasm for the part, he made a good centerpiece for the production. Tadd Morgan and Monica Wulzen provided good straight-men performances as Brad and Janet, and Peter Farrar was definitely a well-muscled Rocky.

There’s blood on the stage when Eddie (Billy Hollman) makes his brief appearance, and again when the bag of what’s left stops by, and lots more when the end comes to the aliens left on earth, leading to a perfectly placed puddle for the final spotlight to iris into darkness upon.

An excellent production of a classic musical tale, all involved performed admirably. I was suitably entertained for sure.

Joan Rivers at Snoqualmie Casino

Don — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 07:40:18 +0000

Joan Rivers has more energy at 77 than I could manage on stage at 17. She ripped on everyone, from her daughter to Oprah, plugging her show at the same time. The entire show she’s doing a recurring bit about “I just have to say a couple more things and then we’ll start the show…”

Gay men stay…
Lesbians, I know who you are, and I want you in the back….

If you get a chance to see Joan live, it’s well worth it.

Le Faux at Julia’s on Broadway

Don — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 00:47:42 +0000

If you get there, and the seats right by the stage are still open…know that you’ll be craning your neck a lot, and missing whatever they put on the video screen. But you get a really close view of the action that you can see.

Their Cher was really impressive. They all were pretty good, really. When they do the picture-with-the-whole-cast thing at the end of the show, you realize how many people they put on stage through the evening. The guy who does the hanging cloth acrobatic stuff must work out like crazy, he makes climbing up that stuff look so easy. They do a lot of comedy talking bits, working with the crowd, including at least one bit that included a plant in the audience, I think. Or else they just improvised around him really well.

I was entertained.

In Case of Choking

Don — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 04:13:34 +0000

“1. Relocate victim off of school property
2. Call taxi for victim
3. Return to school and resume normal duties”

Oh fox.

Wishlist Surprises

Don — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 03:17:00 +0000

I’ve had an Amazon wishlist for quite a while. When I first started buying from them, I used an actual Wyse terminal attached to an external modem (for the purposes highly overpowered at 19.2kbps). Sometimes an item ends up on the list that I have no clue why I put it there. Like the 6-CD’s of crappy covers that is Party With Pride,which if my guess is correct, I put on the list for it’s cover of “99 Red Balloons”. But the ‘artist’ names are totally worth the used CD price I paid….”Venus With Penus”…alllllllrighty then =p

Be Kind Rewind

Don — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 17:50:53 +0000

More touching than expected. Lots of the obvious comedy you’d expect from the trailer, with more plot than you might expect from the premise. They of course have to make a dig on copyright issues with Signorney’s character.

Strange, the last words on screen are a statement that no one got paid for using tobacco in the film.

leftovers

Don — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:55:22 +0000

I kiss her hands

I kiss her lips

And I left her behind for you.

–Duke of Iron “I Left Her Behind For You”

1000 AD: The Musical

Don — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 21:40:36 +0000

An amusing song about survival, should one wake up one day in 1000 A.D.

50 First Dates

Don — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 23:09:51 +0000

I was surprised at how well Mr Sandler did in this film. I can see now why they gave him the chance to do more serious work. And of course, it’s got the wonderful bat scene. I do wish they’d done more with the photos her dad took each day.