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August 2003 |
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Playing Thursday nights
at 8pm starting September 4th at: Yes, this is my uncle’s play, but it’s worth promoting. I’ve seen it multiple times, and looked at it objectively, and it is truly hilarious. After a long run (over twelve weeks, way longer than normal) at The Second City, Chicago’s world famous breeding ground for famous comedians, it has moved on to another Chicago improv house. The hope of the cast is to raise enough money to eventually take the show to Los Angeles, and maybe get some wider attention, and more money. Those reading this may not be in Chicago, but if you are or if you’re planning on visiting, I highly recommend it. Or you can hope that it’s successful enough that it’ll eventually be in your town. Tim O’Malley’s autobiographical play “Godshow” can be summed up easily but shouldn’t be dismissed that way. It is brutally honest, straightforward, bold and courageous. Tim O’Malley points the satirical sword (sharpened by years of studying and teaching at The Second City) directly at himself and commits comedic ritual seppuku, spilling his guts out on stage for everyone to inspect and laugh at. It’s a great examination of the self-delusion one will undertake under the influence and in the grip of addiction, told by a man who knows first-hand. “Godshow” deftly captures the humor of the rationalization an addict and alcoholic will use to placate himself. Tim O’Malley’s play is expertly written with moments surprisingly touching for a comedic play, where keeping up pace is key and truly sad moments can usurp momentum like a black hole. These heart-tugging scenes are inter-cut abruptly with hilarious one-liners, and a couple of songs, which manage to keep the mood light. As I watched the audience I was surprised to see the diversity of people guffawing at jokes about subjects such as crack use and rehabilitation. It’s mass appeal to all walks of life is a nod to the overall strength of “Godshow”. It’s difficult to write a show about events so personal, dark, and gritty while managing to induce the audience to relate, let alone laugh. Hindsight is twenty-twenty, and O’Malley’s comedic hindsight is nothing short of that. A tour-de-force, so far; more to come from Tim O’Malley.
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