Review: PAT HAZELL'S PERMANENT RECORD at Des Moines Performing Arts

Our records. These tend to be something we keep to ourselves, but Pat Hazell is opening his records up for everyone to see. Des Moines Performing Arts host the World Premiere of "Pat Hazell's Permanent Record" as the opening of the Prairie Meadows Temple Comedy Series. This comedic look at the different records that we like Pat Hazell have is only playing for a short time and is the perfect show to kick off your holiday season.

You might be asking who Pat Hazell is? Pat is most famous for being one of the original writers for one of America's favorite comedies, "Seinfeld." His past shows My Funny Valentine, and The Wonder Bread Years have been part of past seasons with the Prairie Meadows Comedy Series. For this show he decided to take a look through his life starting from the day he was born. In doing this, he has been able to break his life down to 4 different kinds of records.

What may surprise you is that this show has Iowa connections. The music theme for the show is written by Patrick Hazell, not to be confused with Pat Hazell, who's life the show is based. Patrick is known as the "Godfather of Iowa Blues. Pat shares in the show that in having research done on himself, he found out about Patrick and thought it would be a great tie in to have him write music for the show.

Walking into the theatre, it looks as though you are walking into the theatre, looks almost like an abandoned police station with yellow caution tape stretching across the front of the stage. This idea is played further into when Pat Hazell makes his entrance in an orange jumpsuit. As he starts the show, the caution he tears the caution tape in the middle, and rips off the orange jumpsuit, allowing the audience to join into the story of his life.

Throughout the show, Pat shared some of the different records he looked into in preparation for the show. The records included his permanent record, personal record, private record, and potential record. Each of these records took us on a journey that you will relate to, no matter what age you are. His permanent record tended to focus on his childhood. This included a story about going to the principal's office. The conclusion of the tale reappears at the end of the show.

The personal record and private record segments were fun and brought some surprise video appearances. Some of the videos were celebrities that make fun cameos or share their experiences with Pat. Some of the most informative interviews come from his mother. One of my favorites was when she read a letter his principal had written home about having three tardies, and seeing how she responds to seeing the note.

The record that took me by surprise was the potential record. While this show overall is a comedy, this segment gives a heart to the show that I wasn't expecting. One of the stories shared during this segment was about a book that was Pat's father's before he passed away. As he choked up on stage, the audience was allowed to do the same.

"Pat Hazell's Permanent Record" brings an evening of entertainment that will have everyone laughing and crying no matter what age you are. His dive into his permanent, personal, private, and potential record will resonate with each person in attendance. This world premiere continues at Temple of the Performing Arts as part of the Prairie Meadows Temple Comedy series through December 22. To find more about the show or to purchase tickets, visit https://desmoinesperformingarts.org/events/pat-hazells-permanent-record/

Review written by DC Felton
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