ARTS . Theater Review

Quipped From the Headlines

Through Jan. 7,1812 Productions at the Adrienne.


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Published: Dec 13, 2006

None of 1812 Productions' seven "holiday" shows, thankfully, has shared much about Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Yule beliefs, but each has in some way entertained and educated about the history of theatrical comedy. This year's sugarplum is the slickly produced This Is the Week That Is, a distinctive exploration of political humor.

American politics has always been a little — and often, a lot — showbiz, and 1812 mastermind Jennifer Childs finds the comic balance in a combination of old routines (I was shocked that their first of many riffs on George W. Bush was actually a 1914 vaudeville routine skewering Teddy Roosevelt) and "ripped from the headlines" new material (Hint: Read the newspaper the day you attend), including some audience-participation improv.

Highlights include tributes to legendary comedians Will Rogers, Dick Gregory and Mort Sahl ("Just tell the truth and make it funny," he teaches, a lesson Childs takes to heart), a medley of Tom Lehrer's bitingly comic Cold War-era songs with just a little updating ("Send the Marines" could easily have been written today) and a devilish parody of Fiddler on the Roof's "Do You Love Me?" crooned by Bush to Dick Cheney.

The show's original songs, arranged and composed by music director Jim Ryan, are equally fun, from a tribute to Nancy Pelosi and the requisite newscast parody's dramatically earnest theme to a hilarious Afghani community theater's Broadway medley.

The fall-down-funny performers are Scott Greer (a dead-on Rush Limbaugh), Tony Braithwaite (a frenetically needy Bush), Dave Jadico (a dour Rogers), and Steven Wright (not only the inevitable guy-in-a-dress as Condoleezza Rice, but an acerbic Gregory and a wacked-out Bill Cosby). Childs' extraordinary range extends from a brilliantly icy Hillary clone to Patsy on Shunk Street, who takes questions from the audience on her show The View From My Stoop.

A lucky person is plucked from the audience every night to run for president — is this how they found George W.? — and we're treated to instant campaign commercials thanks to Jorge Cousineau's video design, in the space's most flawlessly high-tech production since the Zizkas moved the Wilma to Broad Street. Actor and musician Jadico also designed the set, which harbors a few fun surprises, colorfully lit by Stephen Keever.

This Is the Week That Is poses serious questions about political humor — does it help or hurt participation in democracy? — but you'll be laughing too hard to think about them.

(m_cofta@citypaper.net)

This Is The Week That Is

Through Jan. 7,1812 Productions at the Adrienne,2030 Sansom St.,215-592-9560,www.1812productions.org