Is political satire still funny? Charlotte Squawks begins 2022 run amid changing climate
Some comedians have struck more nerves than funny bones in recent months.
After Chris Rock was slapped at the Oscars in March and Dave Chappelle was tackled on stage in May, the purpose and taste of targeted jokes have been the focus of countless online debates. In an increasingly polarized political climate, humor at the expense of parties or specific politicians can be even riskier.
Longtime Charlotte satirist Brian Kahn said he has no plans to take it easy in material for his upcoming show amid the shifting climate around comedy and satire, though.
“To me, if I am pulling punches, then I’m not doing the material the right way, I’m doing it a disservice,” Kahn said.
For the 17th time since 2004, Charlotte Squawks performers are preparing to take the stage and musically mock the absurd, comical and frustrating aspects of life in Charlotte. The troupe’s goal of poking fun at local culture, sports teams and politicians hasn’t changed since the show’s inception, but co-producers Mike Collins and Kahn said the atmosphere around satire — particularly jokes centered on national politics — has transformed dramatically in recent years.
“I remember one show we had when Jennifer Roberts was still the mayor (from 2015 to 2017),” Collins said. “She was the opening moment of the show on video. She got heckled the instant her image appeared on screen, and I thought at that moment, ‘Oh my, something has drastically changed,’ and it got worse over the years. We’ve had to kind of soft pedal the politics, especially at the presidential level.”
Changes to the landscape of political satire haven’t been unique to Charlotte Squawks. After nearly 40 years of performances, including shows for Presidents Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and others, the political satire group Capitol Steps, based in Washington, D.C., was forced to “turn off the stage lights” in January 2021. The troupe announced it disbanded due to financial struggles amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but its dissolution led some in the political sphere to wonder if the audience for political satire had shrunk as political partisanship grew.
Collins and Kahn, veterans of the Squawks flock, have performed, written or produced in every show since its founding. They have noticed some differences in audience reception to certain jabs.
“When Obama ran, we did a whole series of candidate numbers on whoever was running against Obama — Hillary Clinton, (Mitt) Romney and people like that,” Collins said. “People on both sides laughed at the other side. They stopped laughing in the Trump years, sadly.”
Despite the changes, Kahn said he still prides himself on writing material true to the spirit of satire while not unfairly targeting anyone.
“The one thing I’m very conscious of is punching down. I don’t like that, I don’t think it’s funny, so I won’t intentionally pick on somebody when they’re down,” said Khan, who’s also the show’s lead writer. “But one of the things about satire is it’s supposed to be biting. It’s supposed to be shocking at times.”
Charlotte Squawks performer Patrick Ratchford, now in his 11th year with the troupe, said he isn’t concerned that a physical confrontation will happen at a Squawks performance.
“By and large, our audience is very friendly with the show. They love it because it’s just a place to let their hair down and have fun,” Ratchford said. “We did have a couple of numbers, especially during the Trump years, that were pretty damning. They were just telling the truth about his behavior to be honest. A couple of folks heckled from the audience with that, but by and large, most people up here have a lot of experience doing this and with comedy, so they can heckle with the best of them.”
Charlotte Squawks’ returning viewers know what to expect, which also helps keep the tenor of the audience positive, Ratchford said.
“I get emails from folks all the time with things like ‘Oh, I’m bringing a group of 14 to the show this year.’ People come back in droves for this and just make it a night, they have cocktails while they’re here — we encourage you to have cocktails while you’re here even — and it’s always a lot of fun,” Ratchford said.
This year’s show will feature musical parodies set to tunes of popular songs satirizing the Myers Park football scandal, NCDOT highway construction woes, former North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory’s U.S. Senate race loss and more.
Most of all, Collins said, the show will maintain the brand of outrageous comedy that has helped it retain its audience for nearly two decades.
“We get a lot of return people because we’ve been doing it for 17 years, and I think they come here knowing what to expect,” Collins said. “We do get some newcomers, and I tell them in the opening monologue, ‘There’ll be moments tonight when you will be pissed off. Suck it up, because this is not a safe space.’”
Charlotte Squawks will run from June 9-26 at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center’s Booth Playhouse, 130 North Tryon St. Tickets start at $26 and can be purchased through the performing arts center website.
This story was originally published June 8, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
