Nige isn't even trying to pretend that Reform is anything more than his own personality cult these days. The heavily grease-painted entertainer in need of ever more attention. The possibilities are endless. Be more like Nige and jump at the chance to buy shares in Kwasi Kwarteng's crypto scheme.
Robles repeatedly steals the show - as the best Lady of the Lakes do - with precise comic timing and delivery, impressively and intentionally over-the-top vocal work (which would given even "Songbird Supreme" Mariah Carey a run for the money) and an ability to both spoof and embrace full-throttle divadom.
I wanted to mention Kenneth Williams because he was so profound, Allen tells me. And yet, because he was also funny, that profundity hasn't been acknowledged. As a child, I connected with his outsiderness. Rather than trying to fit in, he went in the opposite direction. Not only did he not apologise for being different, but he was queer in every sense, truly at odds with the world in which he found himself.
Steve Martin Writes the Written Word is an aptly-named collection and excellent introduction to the comedian's best writings, including some new material. In another piece, he makes the list of 100 greatest books he read laugh out loud funny with fake titles such as "Omelet: Olga - Mnemonic Devices for Remembering Waitress' Names" and "Marijuana! Totally Harmless (can't remember author)."
He would refer to his father as ce salaud bourgeois (that bourgeois arsehole) and he delighted in telling me the story of being thrown out of school aged eight because he punched the gymnastics teacher who was trying to instil discipline into young boys by turning them into military martinets. Of the professions and attitudes that merited his ire the military, the church, hypocrisy, sham, inauthenticity, politicians, academics and fascists collaborateurs had a special place in his heart.
Early in 1992's Wayne's World, a bunch of rockers squeeze into an AMC Pacer with custom flames painted on the side. As they drive past the automarts, car washes and beef stands of downtown Chicago, Bohemian Rhapsody plays on the car stereo. The song's operatic verses are used for laughs (the Let me go line becomes a cry for help from a friend who is partied out and might honk in the backseat)
Readers who saw my previous post will recall its focus on a recurring pattern of laughter and humor found during my deep dive into the humor of the Seinfeld series. I wondered why we tend to laugh at various things going into our bodies and tried to explain why we might be so inclined using the Mutual Vulnerability Theory of Laughter.
I was a smiley, happy child. I've had cerebral palsy since birth, so I've never known any other reality. At three years old I went to a disabled nursery connected to a disabled school, and I remember thinking, Why am I here? At the end of the day, the teacher brought my parents in and said, Rosie should be in a mainstream school.
London's critics are not unanimous in their praise (but that's nothing unusual). The Financial Times suggests the play occasionally gravitates into "cultural grumbling" when it tackles modern issues such as cancel culture and university politics, and argues that the material feels more reflective than razor-sharp satire. notes that while the humour "simmers gently," its plotting is uneven and its engagement with contemporary politics sometimes feels cursory rather than incisive.