** (out of ****)
It's the end of the world as we know, and Colin Quinn for one most definitely doesn't feel fine.
In fact, in this incredibly brief 75-minute so-called "history of the world," a very somber Quinn effectively uses symmetry to prove that civilization's downfall really is all Greek to him. Seriously. As if channeling philosopher George Santanaya, Quinn seeks to remind his audience that "Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it."
In Colin Quinn: Long Story Short, the SNL alum offers a PowerPoint dirge on the world's greatest civilations, examining the Achilles' heels contributing to their seemingly inevitable decline. And you'll never guess which super power's turn at the downward swing it ultimately is in this cautionary comic stand.
As if the message weren't enough of a downer, Quinn does himself few favors by failing to connect with his audience. Rather than engage members directly (and the Playbill comes with a warning not to catcall), Quinn keeps his eyes focused somewhere in the middle of the theatre as if there's invisible cue cards to be found. One wonders where Jerry Seinfeld was, since it seems clear he wasn't really providing any meaningful direction.
That's not to say that there isn't smart humor, and sometimes profound at that, to be found in this extended, stand-up comedy routine. Quinn lands many decent laughs. But more often than not, Quinn is much too serious in imploring his audience to wake up with a clarion call all his own.
Long Story Short? Colin Quinn's biting comedy would be outright hilarious if it weren't so sad.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
In keeping with the new Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulations that unfairly discriminate against bloggers, who are now required by law to disclose when they have received anything of value they might write about, please note that I have received nothing of value in exchange for this post.
Labels: Broadway, Colin Quinn, Comedy, Jerry Seinfeld, Long Story Short, One Man Show, Standup Comedy, The SOB Review
Long Story Short, Colin Quinn Is Broadway-BoundSo there I was, clicking through
Telecharge last evening when I saw that
Colin Quinn's
Long Story Short -- the comedian's one-man show directed by
Jerry Seinfeld -- had
tickets on sale for his
return to Broadway's
Helen Hayes Theatre beginning October 22. I immediately
tweeted about it last night.
The official
site for the show indicates that this limited engagement will run 11 weeks through January 8, 2011. The site
describes the show as follows:
Comically channeling the demise of every great world empire, Colin Quinn (SNL) takes the audience through an uproarious history of the world in 75 minutes. From his personification of Caesar as the original Italian mobster to his depiction of the pizza-ordering styles of imperialists and colonialists, Quinn is at his satirical best, taking on the attitudes, appetites and habits that toppled the world’s most powerful nations. Directed by Jerry Seinfeld, Long Story Short proves that throughout human history, the joke has always been on us.
A formal announcement hit right about the time I initially posted this story. This is a transfer of Quinn's recent run from the Bleecker Street Theatre that ended September 4. It marks Jerry Seinfeld's first Broadway credit as a director.
This is
Steve On Broadway (SOB).
In keeping with the new that unfairly discriminate against bloggers, who are now required by law to disclose when they have received anything of value they might write about, please note that I have received nothing of value in exchange for this post. Labels: Broadway, Colin Quinn, Comedy, First Word On New Show, Jerry Seinfeld, Long Story Short, One Man Show, Standup Comedy
Joan Rivers (The SOB Review) - Pantages Theatre, Minneapolis, Minnesota*** (out of ****)Joan Rivers. Can she talk?
Oh, puhleeze! If you mean can Joan Rivers dish a blue streak with the best of them, then absolutely.
Although she's just a few months shy of the same age as my very own mother (who incidentally, Joan, if you
are reading, she is
not the "B" in the SOB on this site), they may as well have been born in different generations given the tireless entertainer's incredibly filthy, obscene and hilarious mouth.
In her performance at Minneapolis' Pantage Theatre last Wednesday evening, Joan Rivers delivered perhaps
the single most politically incorrect comedy piece I've ever witnessed. And I loved practically every minute of it.
With Rivers, there are no sacred cows, largely because she's slaying and skewering virtually every one imagineable and even things you hold dear right before your eyes. As she boldly grabs the cajones of countless celebrities, no one is safe from her expert carving. Not
Michael Jackson. Not
Tom Cruise. Not
Whitney Houston. Not anyone, although just to hedge her bets a smidge, she often quickly adds that the star she's just mercilessly ridiculed is a good or close friend.
As an equal opportunity offender, Rivers is also quick to turn her own personal foibles and tragedies into comic fodder, whether joking about her humiliating failure as a light night talk host or even the truly devastating death of her beloved husband Edgar.
Thankfully, with all the sacred cows slaughtered so masterfully by this comedic icon, there's no bull s*** for the audience to wade through, only genuine laughs.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Comedy, Joan Rivers, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Standup Comedy, The SOB Review
