Sketch 22.

I'm a fan of some local theatre. Basically, anything done by a certain circle of folks. This includes shows like Annekenstein (R.I.P.), 4Play (R.I.P.), Enemies, and Sketch 22. I generally find that their senses of humour are really up my alley. In the past, in all shows, something usually happens that pushes the boundaries of good humour or taste (I, personally, don't think they've crossed it yet... for me). Of late, it usually seems to be Rob MacDonald or Graham Putnam who's willing to go that extra mile for a laugh, shock, or gross-out. Things like nudity, ripping a pube out and putting in their mouth before they offer it to someone (it suited the moment), or just graphic description aren't necessarily expected, but it's not shocking to see one of these cats do such a thing.

This is why I was kind of surprised to hear some of the reviews of Sketch 22 this year. Last year was awesome. Really, it was. I can find humour in almost anything, but it takes something really good to make me genuinely smile or laugh out loud. It takes something really special to create "happy tears", and these shows/folks have done it a few times. Sketch 22 did it last year. But this year... some prude wrote a very poor review for The Guardian, and friends of friends said "don't bother", etc. I was perplexed. Did the absence of Matt Rainnie and the addition of this new Dennis Trainor fellow really change things all that much? Had they really gone TOO gross? Had they really gone TOO far? Well, either way, I was going to see it.

Last week, the day after the review in The Guardian, we got in line (what? an outdoor lineup? I don't like this...) at 7:10. This was 10 minutes after the doors had opened, and 50 minutes before the show. When we got to the door about 15 to 20 minutes later, it was sold out. That sucked. That warning of a review must've really brought the curious folks out. So, we waited until last night to try again. We got there even earlier, and were within the first 10 in. We sat in the centre of the 2nd row.

Well... I don't want to do a full review, as it's getting late... and I don't want to spoil toooo much, so I won't go into too much detail from here on. However, if you want nothing but total surprises, maybe just stop reading.

I didn't have any "happy tears", so I've seen them be funnier. But overall, it was very funny. Was I grossed out / shocked / insulted? No, no, and no. I thought it was all humourous. Of course, some stuff was funnier than others, but a good point / sense of humour was in all of it. Some people didn't see it all that way, though. Some of my relatives who were there last night questioned the harsher language and its overuse (I kind of expected more, actually... but thought it was good where they cut it), and may have found some of the subject matter a little harsh, expecially in the second half.

Some things, for some people, really pushed their boundaries of funny. Things like, a singing used tampon, gratuitous male nudity, language, a lesbian comedian with a "gunt" the size of an inner tube, religious and gay themes, men kissing with a frog's worth of tongue... there were lots of ideas, visuals, and phrases which pushed people's limits. However, I think the fact that nobody left, and that the crowd gave a standing ovation after a couple of hours of laughing says that a crowd could enjoy or at least "take" it all. When the stage gets rushed like Monty Python, then they may have a problem (although the funeral parlor sketch was always a favourite of mine).

Some of the stuff was just so funny, but in such a "wrong" way. You know, sometimes things ARE funny, but people think it's not right to laugh at them. Had I not been around, say, strangers (some of them pretty), I may have laughed more at the "inappropriate" stuff. For example, "Big Donnie".

Big Donnie made an appearance last year as well, but was less vocal. How can I not find humour in Rob MacD, with that facial image... playing a person with mental deficiencies and wearing a bicycyle helmet? That, on top of him talking like such a person, is really funny. To laugh at a person like that is wrong. But Rob, like that, is fuckin' hilarious, I think. It made me feel guilty to laugh, in a way, but I had to... as conservatively as I could.

In short, everyone performed well, and I enjoyed it. The video stuff was great again, as were the skits. They pushed the limits a bit more, and I loved that, really. It doesn't please the odd person, or the "parental-age" person... but for a person in their late 20s like me... who loved growing up with Kids In The Hall, etc., it was great to see some local folks put something like that together and have it succeed. I hope I can go back with some more of the right people.

Sketch 22
The Annekenstein Monster