Posts Tagged ‘John Morogiello’
Hip Shot: ‘Irish Authors Held Hostage’
Irish Authors Held Hostage
The Bodega at The Trading Post
Remaining Performances:
Saturday, July 25 @ 11 p.m.
Sunday, July 26 @ 2:15 p.m.
They say: “It’s back! The war on terror takes a hilarious turn as Irish authors from the ages are kidnapped by terrorists of every stripe. Expect no victims in this wicked romp that lampoons beloved writers and hated terrorists, or vice versa.”
Hilary’s take: Perhaps—given this show’s 2003 premiere at the Washington Theater Festival and its 2006 stint at the Warehouse Second Stage—it wouldn’t be fair to the newer, unvetted Fringe acts to hail J.T. Burian Theatricals’ IAHH as the most brilliant (in the ‘cross the pond exclamatory sense) production of 2009’s fest. But in an era held hostage by relics of Dubya’s terror-mongering, “fair” is so last century. Besides, Oscar Wilde (John Morogiello) had me at “I don’t care what you do to me so long as it’s BEAUUUUTIFUL!”
Hip Shot: Jack the Ticket Ripper
Jack the Ticket Ripper
The Goethe Gallery
Remaining performances: July 18 6:00, 19 2:30
They say: Jack the ticket-taker has never missed a performance in 25 years. When his job is threatened Jack refuses to be downsized. A hilarious revenge comedy that will have you asking “Who will Jack off next?”
Joan says: Living is easy, comedy is hard, comedy about slaughtering your coworkers is magnificent.
I have a theory that playwright John Morogiello went to see Sweeney Todd and said to himself afterwards, “What this show really needs is some laughs”. How right he was! Jack (delightfully played by Jim Gagne) is a pompous usher. You don’t like him, but you have to love his boyish enthusiasm for murdering his equally pretentious coworkers. Each slaying has a surreal sort of Hannibal Lecter-meets-Elmer Fudd quality to it. You scream both in horror and delight—and you laugh, and laugh, and laugh.
