BWW Reviews: CHARLOTTE SQUAWKS: THE 11TH GLOWER

I wasn't sure what to expect with CHARLOTTE SQUAWKS: THE 11TH GLOWER. The only information I had prior to going was that it was a funny show. As the lights came down on the audience, a video parody of the Lincoln car commercial started with North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory driving through Charlotte. At that moment, I knew that CHARLOTTE SQUAWKS: THE 11TH GLOWER was going to be a truly funny show. After the first number, Mike Collins (WFAE Charlotte Talks) came out and talked to the audience. His stage presence came across like he had been a television late night talk show host for years. He was very relaxed and made the audience feel comfortable, I saw parallels between him and other TV hosts like Letterman and Carson. Once Collins got the audience calibrated, he walked down into the audience speaking audibly with two well known reviewers, poking fun at both of them, even grabbing at one of their notebooks asking to read what they had written thus far.

CHARLOTTE SQUAWKS: THE 11TH GLOWER is chiefly about witty musical pop song parodies covering a surprising amount of topics, from "Restaurant Week" and the finishing of the 485 Freeway, to the UNC-Chapel Hill education scandal and senator Thom Tillis' development. The writing is well versed (pun intended) in politics and current issues, while keeping the lyrics in-time and continuously flowing. They use songs like "Surfin' USA" and "All About That Bass" to talk about the lack of bipartisanship and the failure of banks.

During intermission, I decided to read through the writer's (Brian Kahn) and director's (Mike Collins) notes in the program book. I was pleased with the humor placed in those notes. "Bills!," the opening musical number of the second act was written perfectly to accompany the music. They put together this song better than many numbers I've seen in musicals. The energy, humor and cynicism of the song made the audience become instantly drawn into the second act. It surpassed the first act with very edgy, funny songs.

CHARLOTTE SQUAWKS: THE 11TH GLOWER claims to be an equal opportunity offender, but the bulk of the political humor was pointed at conservative ideas and right-wing decisions. The majority of the audience were republicans. Often times, there would be a joke pointed at republicans followed by a few seconds of silence, then a quarter of the audience applauded, while the other three quarters sat in silence. This interested me because these people weren't able to laugh at the political jokes, which made up a sizable chunk of the humor in the show, yet they came, knowledgable as to what to expect. And they still enjoyed the show thoroughly!

The only semi-serious song in the show, which was fitting, dealt with the closing of the Penguin Drive-In. The topic was paired with "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant" by Billy Joel, showcasing Jack Murray on the saxophone and clarinet throughout the song. It was obvious the audience knew about the restaurant's closing, as everyone seemed to become a tad more solemn. The final number was a mashup between Bruno Mars' "Uptown Funk" and James Brown's "Living in America," poking fun at the differences in life in the Charlotte area between the suburbs and city life.

There were monitors on each side of the stage showing pictures pertaining to the subject at hand. The images were humorous, but occasionally it just seemed as though they went overboard. Prior to most of the numbers, the cast made jokes about the subject matter to come, but instead of adding to the joke, they said the punchline too early making for a less humorous song.

If you want to see a great show with the humor of SNL on a stage in Charlotte, this is it! Brush up a bit on your North Carolina current events before you go or you might miss a few jokes.

CHARLOTTE SQUAWKS: THE 11TH GLOWER, produced by Mike Collins, Brian Kahn and Blumenthal Performing Arts is at Booth Playhouse at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center until June 28. Tickets are on sale at Blumenthal Performing Arts Box Office: 704-372-1000 and BlumenthalArts.org.

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