Lobster puts pinch on body politic

By Pat Craig

Originally published by Costa Contra Times, October 18, 2004.
(c) 2004, All rights reserved.

Once again, Killing My Lobster did it right.

The high-flying San Francisco sketch comedy group is currenly taking on politics, but it is doing battle with the American lust for power, armed with slapsticks more often than broadswords.  The result is a charmingly goofy traipse through the silly world of politics, from Whigs (the ones with the H) to Matt Gonzalez, the Haight Street hero, who runs the city from a neighborhood café.

And, always, laughs come before the message-a very simple rule of political comedy, all but forgotten in this era of earnest rant and open-vein screed.  With "Killing My Lobster Goes to the Polls!"  the intent is not to bash Bush or cream Kerry (although there are moments), but to take a look at the whole subject of politics and poke fun at its utter insanity.

It becomes quickly evident the Bozo factor is not the exclusive property of Republicans or Democrats, but of the system that has been reduced to sound bits and the sort of nit-picking needed to fill TV screens 24/7.

Although there really is no plot, the various sketches are built around the tales of two people running for president and a pair of political consultants who turn the popularity of a play, "The Vagina Monologues," into a whole new political party, one, they say, that sounds like a whole lot of fun.

One of the candidates is forced, in shame, to withdraw from the election when it is revealed she has, "little, tiny baby hands."  Why this is such a scandal is never revealed (much like the scandalettes that seem to fill the daily news). But the tiny hands, hilariously reproduced by wearing doll hands at the end of her arm, are enough to ruin the candidate's career.

What makes this and many of the other sketches work so well, is that they are not pointed at anything specific, but they do speak to exactly what is happening right now on the campaign trail.

The company also uses video for some of its sketches, including a hilarious animated bit about an extremely dull candidate having his campaign bus "pimped," and a man-on-the-street bit that has people chatting candidly about why they don't vote.

While all of this isn't going to make much of an impression with the political wrongs who are blogging the minute details of the campaign on a second-by-second basis, most of us-the ones who find ourselves alternately confused and annoyed by the campaign-will find plenty to laugh about in the show.  And those who are following things slightly more closely will be delighted by some of the sly political jabs that waft gently over the unfolding sketches.

What makes the whole thing work, though, is the extraordinary talent directing and performing the scenes.  Director Marc Vogl has kept the scenes tight and focused, and the cast has created fascinating characterizations that add richness to the sketches.  On Friday's opening night, however, with an intricate series of set changes, the pace of the show became painfully slow at times.

With a great band, led by Andrew Epstein, that plays to enhance the sketches and a number of musical numbers, the show has the feel of a complete evening of theater.

The group continues to amaze with its deft touch and clever style that begs for more steady exposure.  Somebody ought to find these guys a permanent home.