BWW Reviews: A CARLIN HOME COMPANION a Winner at the Falcon
By: Don Grigware Feb. 10, 2015
A Carlin Home Companion/Growing Up with George/written & performed by Kelly Carlin/directed by Paul Provenza/Falcon Theatre/through March 1
Whereas contemporary parents struggle to keep their children away from drugs and alcohol, Kelly Carlin spent her girlhood trying to keep her parents clean and sober, Growing up with George Carlin and his wife Brenda was not the easiest task, as young Kelly figuratively spent many useless years on a street corner trying to find herself, who she truly was and what she wanted to do with her life. In a one-woman odyssey of self-discovery Carlin manages to get us to truly like her and still keep alive and in the center spotlight the sheer genius of her dad, comic icon George Carlin. My only qualm is that the show now onstage at the Falcon Theatre in Burbank could be trimmed down a tad, but overall it is engaging entertainment. A Carlin Home Companion will soon be a book published by St. Martin's Press and you can catch Kelly and her family portrait onstage through March 1.
What we remember about George Carlin's comedy is the spunk, the unabashed audacity to say how he felt about a variety of topics, including honest assaults on our government and stark appraisals of the way we are forced to live, at the mercy of commercialism and overall deception. Kelly Carlin wisely utilizes not only projections to tell her story but actual TV footage of her dad's standup, including the 7 Dirty Words monologue, his hilarious evaluation of self-help books and programs, and my most favorite "Life Is Worth Losing" where he talks about being victimized by junk mail, junk food, junk bonds and other serious trash. His frequent use of expletives, as with Lenny Bruce, seemed more humorous than abrasive, in his brilliant use of language, distilled in his book Brain Droppings. His fast-paced patter with a multitude of words as he tried to prove our victimization gave him the tile of Counter Culture God of the 70s on up.
It is obvious from her tribute that daughter Kelly adored her father, and that he, in spite of his shortcomings - and there were many - equally cared for and supported her throughout his life. Father and daughter mutually helped each other, as did mother and daughter. Brenda Carlin was an alcoholic but made a full recovery only to suffer a variety of illnesses including breast cancer before she passed away. Carlin himself had several heart attacks which put him in very serious health during most of the latter part of his career. Kelly was there for both of them. It made her life uncomfortable, and yet, contributed greatly to making her the strong, independent woman she is today.
Kelly worked with her dad on an HBO special and did some fine comedy acting of her own, and George was exceedingly proud of her accomplishments, but it was her association with and eventual marriage to Bob McCall that made all the difference in her career choices as a writer. Kelly found her love, acceptance and freedom and sums up by with usual strength and candor to "follow your courage and find your light". There's nothing new in A Carlin Home Companion. It's the same advice we've heard regurgitated over and over, but it's the way it's told that makes all the difference. Kelly Carlin's candor about her parents - and obvious pride of her lineage - and about her own problems make her a genuinely honest performer to be reckoned with...and, those delightful memories of George Carlin's brilliance is enough to recommend the show for anyone who is into comedy and what makes it tick.
Gratefully, director Paul Provenza stages simplistically, leaving Kelly pretty much to her own devices. Bravo to Mike Jespersen for his terrific technical direction.
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