Oh Happy Day by Rich Orloff and superbly directed by Julie Klein was simply wonderful. Chris Chambers and Tom Cardinal play a gay couple caught in the hypocrisy of people’s prejudice concerning gay marriages. Elliot…portrayed by Mr. Chambers…is a Washington insider working for fair treatment of alternative relationships. This skit held an immediacy that could have been a problem given its explosive relevance. But the superb acting of both Chambers and Cardinal was so convincing that for the time they shared the stage, they seemed to be a real couple devoted to each other. Both men showed…almost second naturedly…the nuances that two people having lived together for a long, long time would possess. So convincing were Cardinal and Chambers that at the end…when the two express their feelings toward each other…like any other long-term relationship regardless the sexes involved…it was transcendently poignant. And when Larry leaned over and kissed Elliot on his lips there were no gasps. There was no nervous laughter from the crowd. The kiss was…after all…about love…about caring…and about how genuine intimacy is not about what sex your body is. Rather how genuine your heart is.

The final skit of the evening was called Find Me a Primitive Man starring Pam Callahan playing a woman waiting for her blind date to show up at her door. As she waits, lamenting the pitfalls of dating in general she is shocked…after answering the knock at her door…to be face to face with an actual caveman hilariously played by Matt Hahn. The chemistry in this somewhat silly yet charming piece works because Hahn and Callahan make it work. Bordering on a game of charades at times, the enthusiasm with which Mr. Hahn projects his primitivism is fueled by the incredible comic timing of Ms. Callahan. (I’d refer to Ms. Callahan here as “the Goldie Hahn of Columbus"…or the 21st Century for that matter. But I don’t think Goldie Hahn can sing…at least not like Callahan can.) These two actors together…and it’s the first time I’ve seen them together…is nothing short of pure joy. The woman is hopeful. The man is boorish. Yet through all the grunts and groans Callahan’s character convinces herself…and the audience…that this “guy” might be different. And Hahn’s character comes to the realization…primitively to be sure…that maybe he can be a better “man”.

Of course there is more to the show than I’ve presented here. As I wrote earlier…this might very well be the best 2Co’s performance I’ve seen The show is cohesive…flows incredibly well…and it’s obvious the actors/musicians/servers/raffle girls are enjoying the show as much as the audience. So it’s fun for everybody.

Until next time…I’m off in search of a thesaurus full of superlatives.