The Great American Sh*t Show will be presented 7:00pm, Thursdays, September 26, and October 3 at The Marsh Berkeley and October 10 and 24 at The Marsh San Francisco.
The Marsh will present the return of Brian Copeland’s The Great American Sh*t Show. Originally created by Brian Copeland in collaboration with Charlie Varon as a duet, the show is now performed solo by Copeland. This collection of monologues on life in the Age of Trump explores a range of topics, including navigating family dynamics with a Trump supporter, the idea of when America was last “great,” #MeToo, and more. The Great American Sh*t Show will be presented 7:00pm, Thursdays, September 26, and October 3 at The Marsh Berkeley and October 10 and 24 at The Marsh San Francisco.
The Great American Sh*t Show originated with Brian Copeland performing a 15-minute monologue at The Marsh San Francisco, describing the day after the 2016 presidential election. While Copeland was driving on the Bay Bridge, a bearded white man driving a Prius pulled up next to Copeland and yelled, “N****r!”
“I haven’t been called that word in years,” Copeland noted. “Years actually. But on that day, the day after Donald Trump is elected president, it’s almost like the Prius driver was granted permission.” Collaborator Charlie Varon said, “Brian’s monologue was equal parts truth, pain, and comedy. I left the theater disturbed and invigorated. A few days later, I called Brian and suggested we do a show together. He said yes, and we got busy writing.”
As a duet, Copeland and Varon performed The Great American Sh*t Show to sold-out audiences at The Marsh, with the material evolving in response to unfolding political events. The audience reaction was electrifying, with one member describing the show as “much-needed catharsis. Finally, someone saying all the things we have been feeling during the sh*t show.” The San Francisco Chronicle praised the show as “smart, funny, provocative, and at times, unexpectedly deeply moving,” while Marinscope Newspapers lauded Copeland and Varon as “incredible storytellers.”
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