Review: PREACH 2: THE SECOND COMING, Scott Swenson's One Man Improv Show at the Tampa Fringe

Before seeing PREACH 2: THE SECOND COMING, Scott Swenson's irreverent, hilarious one-man revival meeting currently at the Tampa Fringe, I found myself in a quandary. Should I see this sequel even if I never experienced the original? Is that not unlike watching The Godfather Part II without ever having delved into the original Godfather? But hey, I thought, I saw Billy Jack as a kid before I saw the original movie that spawned its awfulness--The Born Losers--and I survived that. I also watched the horrendous rat sequel, Ben, before the original, Willard. So it's not unprecedented.

It's also, in the end, a ridiculous argument. Because Swenson's work is so loosey-goosey, relying primarily on improv and his own devil-may-care charisma, that you would never know that this is a sequel to his Fringe show from two years ago. Nor should you care. Because this is hilarious stuff, as much fun as a barrel of monks.

It starts with "Let's Go Crazy" playing at full volume, and to a dazzling light show to the Prince beat. And then it really goes crazy. Pastor Scott of the Church of WTF enters donning a black robe and golden sneakers. We aren't sure if he's wearing trousers, a mystery he later solves. He starts off with a gender-joke: "Brothers, sister...siblings!" When his mic suddenly turns on out of nowhere, he announces, "Oh, the voice of God!"

The audience is instructed to yell "PREACH!" to everything they agree with, which lends so much fun to the proceedings. He also lays down the ground rules, the difference between faith and religion (one is personal, one is open season): "I am not here to attack your faith; I'm here to have fun with your religion."

Pastor Scott talks about the need for such a sequel and its subtitle THE SECOND COMING: "Let's face it; who doesn't want to come a second time!"

Although I will describe some of the routines on the night I saw it, please note that the show is never the same. The categories are different, and the audience is different. It's a completely different experience depending on when you go. But please go if you can, because a show like this works best with a large party-hardy audience.

On the night I saw PREACH 2, Pastor Scott's WTF Wheel, featuring categories provided by the audience before the show, landed on the following topic: "Is D & D a Path to the Devil?" To which Pastor Scott responds, "They don't call it Dungeons and Angels..." He then makes fun of D & Der's notorious lack of sex: "We are going to give forth to those people who couldn't get laid even if they tried!"

Even better than the show itself are Pastor Scott's tangents. Such as his view of the Last Supper: "Here's my body; let's eat!"

Audience volunteers helped him with the next category: "What would you do for a Klondike Bar?" With the two volunteers changing his physical position, it was funny at first but grew old quickly. That's why a show like this works so well; when one thing isn't as strong as the moment before, or if something goes on a wee too long, there's always a golden comic nugget in the next section. Like a Mel Brooks movie.

Next, Pastor Scott showed off his ukulele prowess, or lack thereof, with his rendition of "Who Do Hunchbacks on Mars Worship?" (another audience pick, which led Pastor Scott to rightly claim, "This is one weird-ass crowd"). He sang it to the tune of "Michael, Row Your Boat Ashore" and went as far as you can go before growing too repetitive.

He then used props for his next category--"Elvis Reincarnated as a Dog." With a sparkly shirt (which he wore for the remainder of the show over his robe), red-hat lady scarf, and a red beret, he looked like Charles Nelson Reilly in a roadshow of Tru. Then he added a walker--yes, a walker--and shuffled like Tim Conway's Duane Toddleberry, the World's Oldest Man. I was ready for him to sing "Along Comes Bialy." Very odd.

Other audience-selected categories included a rant on chin-strap masks, "Was the Last Supper the First Murder Mystery Dinner?," "Freeballin' in Sweats," "Marijuana--Drug or Blessing?" and "Should Birth Control Be Require for Conservatives?" All of these were given the full Pastor Scott treatment.

If it was not for the talent, the quick wit, the joyous bitchiness, and the uncensored heart of the uber-talented Scott Swenson, then none of this would pay off. Yes, sometimes his rants became less humorous and more didactic, but the audience was quite appreciative of these moments, shouting out "Preach!" throughout them. He was literally preaching to the choir here. But the title of the show is PREACH 2 not DIDACTICISM 2, so for my tastes, less sincere rants and more Pastor Scott comedic swag, more outrageous offensiveness, works best in this setting. "Let's Go Crazy" beats out "Let's Get Serious" every time.

PREACH 2: THE SECOND COMING may be the fastest 45 minutes I can recall, and if I could, I would see it again. Because every show is different, and Pastor Scott is at the top of his game. Be prepared to laugh. "PREACH!"

The show, part of the Tampa Fringe, continues its run at the HCC performing arts building in Ybor City on these dates: Sunday, August 1 @ 5:30 PM; Thursday, August 5 @ 8:45 PM; and Sunday, August 8 @ 7:45 PM.

To post a comment, you must register and login.