Hip Shot: The Swami Lives! (Maybe)

Swami Yomahmi – Unnatural Acts of Comedy
The Scientarium, 709 D St. NW

Remaining Performances:
Friday, July 27, midnight
Saturday, July 28, 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 29, 2 p.m.

They say: “From last year’s wildly popular Cheeky Monkey Sideshow comes SWAMI YOMAHMI. Razor blades, broken glass, rusty nails, bondage–you’d have to be crazy to do this stuff! Hilarious, shocking, and always innovative.”

Dave’s take: Staff was still working to finish the Scientarium when I arrived to pick up tickets, but everything seemed in place once the doors opened. We were greeted by such nerd-rock classics as “Hip to Be Square” and Weird Al’s “White & Nerdy,” which properly set the tone for the unapologetic punnery and geek celebration that followed. The Swami has obviously been working this tightly-crafted show for awhile–one can envision versions at schools and hospitals–but it never felt like he was just going through the motions. The heavy audience-participation factor kept things lively, and well-practiced lines such as “Once you go geek, you want it all week,” seemed fresh.

Mr. Yomahmi promised that each remaining Fringe performance will be different. I hope that they all include the finale I saw, which kept me and everyone else in the audience still sitting even after the house lights came up and the stage manager insisted we leave. Why? Because we weren’t sure what we had just seen, and were still seeing. Was the joke on us or was this a stunt gone horribly wrong? “He left us hanging,” laughed one attendee, a nice literal summation.

See it if: You have ever thrown 12-sided dice, believe in the Force, or don’t mind getting squirted.

Skip it if: You’re allergic to puns and squeamish about violations of various bodily orifices.

Tags: Gala Hispanic Theatre