THE BASICS: A one-man show written and performed by National Lampoon and Comedy Central’s Tommy Koenig at the Smith Theatre, 660 Main Street (adjacent to Shea’s Performing Arts Center), through May 10, Friday and Saturday at 8 pm,Sunday at 2 pm. Runtime: 90 minutes without intermission.
THUMBNAIL SKETCH: Using a very cleverly created sound track of well-known popular songs, Tommy Koenig (now 62 years old) takes us through the history of popular music (from a baby boomer’s point-of-view) with a very fast-paced series of send-ups of everything from doo wop through the decades to rap, starting with Doris Day’s “Que sera, sera” and ending with Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face.” Dressed in dark jacket and pants, Koenig uses a few props, a great number of wigs, and his very mobile face to imitate iconic performers as he alters lyrics to their well-known songs.
THE PLAYERS, THE PLAY, AND THE PRODUCTION: Koenig is not a particularly handsome man and when he first appears on stage his suit is a bit rumpled; he took great pains at the start to generate his Buffalo roots (he graduated from UB in 1975) which seemed a little needy, and he muffed a few lines. It’s not quite a “sad sack” shtick, yet it harkened back to “B” level Borscht Belt comedians from the 1950s and 60s (and there was a reason for that, which he later reveals). But, soon enough, his time line got to a send-up of The Beatles, and I was riveted by the ability to change his face so that he not only sounds like (lots of folks can do impressions) but actually looks like (and this was much, much more than just putting on a wig) the person he’s imitating. Here’s one of the more impressive examples: As “The Beatles” when he put on a mop-top wig and held his cardboard prop guitar “normally” he looked like George. Then, he would flip the prop guitar so that it was “left handed” to imitate Paul, and his face became Paul’s face. I’ve never seen anything like that before. And Koenig did that over and over again with Blondie, Duran Duran, David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, to name just a few. The Blondie send-up was part of a rant against MTV and music videos, which led to good looks being more important than good music, with Duran Duran and their fashion model couture getting a particularly good skewer.
Some of the themes were very topical for the Buffalo Baby Boomers in the audience (“remember we’re old….er….. we’re not old”). The David Bowie sketch involved the desperate use of plastic surgery and Koenig had “The Boss” sing a lament about our lost manufacturing base: “BOUGHT in the U.S.A. but NOT MADE in the U.S.A.”
When he sticks to the music, Koenig is great. In between, sometimes his shtick used stereotypes that harkened back to our parents’ generation, for example, having a German character goose-step across the stage. Now, the very concept of the Baby Boom (those born 1946-1964) is that we are a post-war (WWII) generation. By 1946, and certainly by 1953 when Koenig was born, nobody was goose-stepping. It really was an anachronism.
If you go, don’t be put off by the slow start. Within ten minutes, the pace really picks up and continues for the rest of the show.
*HERD OF BUFFALO (Notes on the Rating System)
ONE BUFFALO: This means trouble. A dreadful play, a highly flawed production, or both. Unless there is some really compelling reason for you to attend (i.e. you are the parent of someone who is in it), give this show a wide berth.
TWO BUFFALOS: Passable, but no great shakes. Either the production is pretty far off base, or the play itself is problematic. Unless you are the sort of person who’s happy just going to the theater, you might look around for something else.
THREE BUFFALOS: I still have my issues, but this is a pretty darn good night at the theater. If you don’t go in with huge expectations, you will probably be pleased.
FOUR BUFFALOS: Both the production and the play are of high caliber. If the genre/content are up your alley, I would make a real effort to attend.
FIVE BUFFALOS: Truly superb–a rare rating. Comedies that leave you weak with laughter, dramas that really touch the heart. Provided that this is the kind of show you like, you’d be a fool to miss it!