Go Comedy! grabs from headlines for funny ‘Wet, Hot, Summer’
FERNDALE, Mich.–The beauty of sketch comedy when done right, is that it is like the theatrical equivalent of Snapchat. It has an intentionally short life-span. Go Comedy!’s new show Wet Hot American Bummer is a juicy entertaining and topical show that will soon be as out of date as last week’s avocados.
The show, written by he writers and cast Newsish, and directed by Shawn Handlon and Scott Myers, is a compendium of sketches all tied into today’s political realties and news stories–from the healthcare debate, the death of Fox News founder Roger Ailes, women’s rights marches, autonomous cars and inter-racial dating and political correctness.
The troupe is comprised of Tim Kay, Jessica Loria, Katie McGraw, Nuverre Naami, Tom Novik, Nicole Pascaretta, RJ Cach and Matt Penridge.
A sketch about a white man dating “a brown woman” felt right on the money with the awkward conversations that take place between adult children and their parents about today’s dating, which can venture not only into inter-racial territory but gender, as more people identify as gender neutral. A sketch in which Speaker of The House Paul Ryan is dedicating a memorial bench to Roger Ailes while women in the audience cat-call him about his legs, ass and other body parts, a not-so-gentile what’s good for the goose take on Republican hypocrisy over lionizing TV hosts and executives and an entire network rife with charges of sexual harassment charges and settlements.
There is a piece featuring Jesus speaking to the disciples about the parable of the rich man not being able to get into heaven. The disciples are comedically not getting the concept, and they seem not unlike members of Congress who profess to have bibles in their jacket pockets at all times while at the same time they cut the guts out of Medicaid or require drug tests before dispensing food stamps.
On the all-too current healthcare debate, we find out that the Tin Man, Scarecrow and Lion from Oz all have pre-existing conditions what with the lack of a heart, brain and courage. A man who is diagnosed with cancer runs through a litany of worries–from paying off his student loans to paying his deductibles, only actually worrying about getting treated in the last seconds of the bit.
Overall, Wet Hot American Bummer holds together far better than most sketch shows. Catch it before it closes on August 3. It plays Thursdays only.