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Short Order Follies
BY MEGAN GRUMBLING
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What do you call a show that features George W. singing a capella for John Kerry, Lynndie England delivering a love song to Donald Rumsfeld, and Bob Dylan updating his epic "Hurricane"? Farce? Satire? Its makers call it Political Follies: A Look at Bush & Co’s Latest Debacles. Me, I call it relief — and relief is something this show will also help provide to people who need more than just a good laugh. Yes, even as its scathing sketches and songs soothe the outrage of Portland’s liberals at the St. Lawrence on October 12, Political Follies will be raising funds for the Maine Plan for Displaced Families, which aids Hurricane Katrina victims. The brainchild of writer-director Dan Bernard, this mix of skits, music, and commercial parodies features members of Portland’s Short Order Comedy Co.: Actress/comedienne Jennywren Sanders (also of the Awesome); radio comedy actress and acting teacher Rachel Flehinger; stand-up dudes Harold Tucker, Sean A. X. Carr, and Dennis Hunt; and radio player Rock Bergeron. Music will be performed by around-town jazzman John Shibley. All these artists will perform a two-part show of political commentary — the first half made up of fully produced segments, the second left to the caprices of improv. "We hope to reflect the way a lot of Americans are feeling about the administration’s approach to things and help a great cause at the same time," says Bernard. Approached by friends involved in the Maine Plan for Displaced Families, Bernard rushed to wrangle up some existing scripts and some new, topical material, and in no time had a cast, a slot at the St. Lawrence, and a Chuck Yeager Award-worthy poster. Come by the church on the hill for some sweet-and-sour parody, and a little two-way relief.
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