Atomic Vaudeville lets freak flag fly The Martlet, What: Atomic Vaudeville, Episode #10 ‘THE PASSION’ |
It’s a boring time for comedy fans these days. The Simpsons has become hit-and-miss, reality TV has replaced smart sitcoms on the airwaves and Hollywood continues to plop meatheads like Vin Diesel into embarrassing family fluff. Thankfully, comedy fans can check out Atomic Vaudeville next week at the Victoria Event Centre. Led by artistic director/performer Britt Small and playwright/actor Jacob Richmond, Atomic Vaudeville takes on an outrageous mix of pop-culture genres with a sharp satirical edge. The performances include everything from skits to a Bush twins talk show segment to ukulele hip hop, and they invariably elicit full participation from the crowd. UVic theatre professor Jennifer Wise says Atomic Vaudeville is “irreverent, deliciously obscene [and] plugged directly into the messy vein of a live, interacting audience.” In other words, The Pacifier this ain’t. Small and company didn’t choose the “atomic” moniker lightly: the name reflects both the company’s manic energy and what Small calls their “explosive material.” She’s not kidding: past performances have involved Santa in jail, pillow fights that slip into female nudity and a computer molesting its owner—sample line: “Why don’t you insert yourself into my hard drive and show me what RAM really means?” Next week’s episode, “The Passion,” will include Mary and Joseph discussing the immaculate conception on Jerry Springer, the requisite Bush twins and even the |
devil masturbating to—you guessed it—Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ. Despite its racy content, Atomic Vaudeville transcends mere shock value. As Small says, AV “makes people laugh at themselves” in order to make them question social issues such as gender relations, body image and racism. Small says next week’s episode targets “Christian identity, fundamentalism and the corporatization of holidays” but maintains a respect for spirituality. “We have two practising Christians in our roster,” Small says. “If we ended up doing something really, really offensive, we would know. Our audience has been honest with their opinions—and no one has ever walked out of a performance.” “There is great beauty in prayer,” Small adds, “and with every show, I always ask myself: is there enough beauty in the show? It’s important that we never end up doing pure, ruthless lampooning.” Of course, bizarre fun remains Atomic Vaudeville’s No. 1 priority, and next week will give theatre-goers the chance to dive into one of the most fearless, ridiculous comedic events in town. When it comes to the Atomic Vaudeville mindset, actor Jen Stein says it best: “It’s important to take it a bit too far or else you never get anywhere.” Small agrees. “You can’t play it safe all the time.” So what are you waiting for? The prince of darkness will be there, and he’ll be choking the chicken to a Mel Gibson movie. Top that, if you dare. |