At The Merriam Theater June 8th. Tickets go on sale Friday at 10 AM.
CONSEQUENCE OF SOUND: Despite its close proximity [to SNL], the Lorne Michaels-produced Canadian sketch comedy series broke far more ground, relying less on pop culture or topical impersonations and more on social anxieties revolving around subjects like sexuality, gender, faith, the workplace, and family. Sometimes it was flat-out stupid (McKinney’s Chicken Lady), often it was scandalous (Thompson’s Buddy Cole), and every now and then it cracked into the nonsensical (30 Helens).Most of the time, the five disguised themselves in drag, poking fun at stereotypes and disassembling anyone’s expectations of where they were going and how they’d get there. This was the allure of the Kids, never knowing what they’d tackle next, but always feeling like you’d understand — it was rewarding. They weren’t as hyper-intellectual as, say, Monty Python, but they kept a safe distance ahead of Lorne Michael’s flagship program by tackling taboos most only leave to pillow talk. MORE
THE COMICS COMIC: If anyone is unsure what to expect when Monty Python regroups for a limited-time onstage offering this July, then the KITH reunion — the first new touring stage production since 2008 from Dave Foley, Kevin McDonald, Bruce McCulloch, Mark McKinney and Scott Thompson — is loosey goosey. […] The action is madcap; the punchlines and ad-libs furious. Part of their endearment to audiences two decades ago was their ability to mix sincerity with the sincerely silly on TV, often playing themselves between sketches to break the sketches and the fourth wall with us in the audience. That remains a great pull for them now, no matter how loosely prepared they may seem to be onstage. In fact, that only provides more chances for them to charm us. MORE
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