Seeing Sarah Silverman

Last night I attended Sarah Silverman's show at the River Rock Casino. She was pretty funny, although about half of the material she was giving us was recycled from previous shows. For instance, if you've seen her DVD Jesus Is Magic, then you'll recognize 50% of the jokes that she told last night, not to mention most of the songs that she sang (Jews Driving German Cars, You're Gonna Die Soon, etc). In that respect, the show was disappointing. I came to see her do new material, not something I've already watched.

In terms of joke-telling, she more or less stumbles through stories until something strikes her or your funny bone. She's not like a classic comedian who has the punchlines ready to go, and can sometimes come off a bit rambling. She wound her way here and there and back again, going off on tangents and probably being as annoyed as I was at all the STUPID PEOPLE who kept getting up and out of their seats during the program!! WTF, Vancouver!? Go to the washroom before you come to the show!! OY! I was embarassed for our city. (This also happened at Margaret Cho, too!) Do people have small bladders or something?

Anyway, it was a fun evening and her opening act had awkward/uncomfortable jokes as well, which I thought were fantastic! I didn't laugh uncontrollably like I did at Margaret Cho's show, but it was a different type of comedy - darker, politically incorrect, and a bit more intelligent (which explains why the annoying woman in front of me who kept talking didn't quite "get" it)!

We Are Beautiful, No Matter What They Say...

I just got back from the Margaret Cho "Beautiful" show and it was downright hysterical! She's got her groove back! It was a lot lighter than her other tours, which seemed to come off pretty heavy and full of moral teachings. This had its messages of love and peace but the laughter far outweighed the preaching.

Opening act Liam Sullivan was good too, starting off his set with a song from Aunt Susan, Kelly's lesbian relative. This was followed by a new video not yet uploaded to YouTube and then a screening of "Let Me Borrow That Top." He then came out as Kelly and performed "Shoes" live, which was great but for those who have never seen the video might not have gotten.



I managed to snag an interview with Liam last week and get it published over in the Westender. I actually secured the interview before securing a publication for it. I wanted the chance to talk to him that I was willing to put the cart before the horse! Thankfully, after pitching the piece to 3 separate newspapers, one finally responded and said yes at the very last minute.

If the Beautiful tour comes by your city, do check it out if you're looking for a fun night out. You are guaranteed a laugh!

Into The Woods

Today I celebrated World Theatre Day by going out and catching the local production of Sondheim's Into the Woods, playing until the 29th at The Cultch. I am not a fan of Stephen Sondheim's work, which I've talked about on here time and time again. However, for a Sondheim musical, this is probably the one that I actually enjoyed the most! Music wise it did nothing for me. His work on the Dick Tracy soundtrack is light years better than all his other stuff, in my opinion and not just because Madonna is in it. However, the show itself was very fun and entertaining and even funny.

And for a community theatre group? This was a full fledged musical! The cast was larger than 5 and they could all actually sing! Who knew? Broadway, eat your heart out! The set was simple but it worked. If you've got time this weekend, catch Into The Woods at The Cultch, which is a cool old theatre off Venables that has an upper balcony that's cramped but fun in that New York City kind of way.

Interview with Margaret Cho

Hey, my interview with Margaret Cho is in this week's Georgia Straight! She was a lot more upbeat this time around when I interviewed her. A few years ago I talked with her and she was quieter and more soft spoken. This time though, she was laughing and more spirited, though she is still pretty quiet compared to her on stage persona.



We talked about her tattoos and how straight guys are the new fag hags. Check it out online here!

Margaret's coming to town next Friday with her Beautiful tour. Her opening act is Liam Sullivan (of Kelly/"shoes" fame!) I snagged an interview with Liam as well and am currently waiting to hear back from a local paper to see if they will run the piece...