GayCo Productions and Second City Theatricals are now presenting Weddings of Mass Destruction, a hilarious new sketch comedy revue through Aug. 15, at Victory Gardens Theater. The skit in 'pink face' (a modern re-mix of Black face) is one of the most biting and funny satires to 'come out' in years. That one bit is worth the price of admission, and deserves to be on national TV. Cast members, from left: Matt Elwell, Jim Bennett, John Bonny, Mandy Price, Celeste Pechous, Judy Fabjance. See page 10 for Rick Reed's review. — Tracy Baim
Weddings of Mass Destruction
Playwright: Ensemble
At: Gayco/Second City at Victory Gardens, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave.
Phone: (773) 871-3000; $15
Runs through: Aug. 15
Chicago's funniest show of the summer has just landed at Victory Gardens. Weddings of Mass Destruction, a joint venture between GayCo Productions and Second City Theatricals, should be a smash hit, if there's any justice (just like there won't ever be an amendment denying gay marriages to GLBT folks … if there's any justice).
This smart, irreverent, and sometimes biting ensemble tackle issues of the day (gay marriage, the war in Iraq, the neutering of gay people in TV shows like Queer Eye for the Straight Guy), plus casting their sharp-focused and witty eye on other, less topical material, like dildos, bears, mate-swapping, and becoming a lesbian because it's the 'in' thing to do.
The ensemble, which consists of Jim Bennett, John Bonny, Matt Elwell, Judy Fabjance, Celeste Pechous, and Mandy Price, are funny and fresh, all easily ready for the Second City mainstage … and beyond. Their keen observations, irreverence, and penchant for deft characterization put them a cut above most improv comedy groups you'll find in Chicago.
The show opens with, unfortunately, somewhat weaker material than what is to follow (unlike their last effort, Poked, which opened with a zany ode to sodomy), introducing us to several couples going to Provincetown to marry (along with a couple of disgruntled singles who pine for the olden days, when a trip to P-Town meant 'having as much anonymous sex as possible'). The ensemble lampoons airport security, traditional wedding dances (the chicken dance and the electric slide are easy targets). The opening is good enough, but it just doesn't match the truly sparkling heights the cast attains later on.
Those heights are best defined by two sketches. The first is one that, when I saw the set-up, I thought 'uh-oh, these folks are crossing the line.' But great comedy often comes from taking daring risks, and this sketch, set in an Abu Ghraib-like prison camp, at first seems too painful to be funny. But talent turns that around as these American 'homo POWs' demonstrate how torture of gays would work (the Iraqis force them to reexperience lunch with their parents, a trip to a suburban shopping mall, and more). The skit works because it's not really about the shameful torture in Iraq, but about everyday plights most of us would recognize as having the potential to make us break down. The second outstanding piece is a send-up of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy that turns into a gay minstrel show, letting us see how these broadcasted desexualized, subservient versions of ourselves are really no different than 'palatable' Black folks from an earlier era. Uncle Thom Filicia, anyone?
Other sketches, including a hilarious Old Maid game that touches too close to the sensitivities of one of the players, a wedding between two loud-mouthed Sox fans, a lounge singer torn by unrequited love, an eerie trip to the 'dildo store,' and an experience between two lesbian couples having their first try at a foursome are all smart, funny, and fresh.
But the true test of great comedy is simple: it makes you laugh. And Weddings of Mass Destruction will make you laugh and laugh. Until you cry. And your tears may be from laughing too hard ... or crying. Either way, this is one stellar revue.