Review: With crowd masked up, ‘SNL’-like show aims to send up Charlotte. Does it succeed?
Thanks, of course, to COVID, the 2021 edition of the Queen City-obsessed musical parody known as “Charlotte Squawks” opens with a disclaimer unlike any that’s ever come before it in 15 previous incarnations.
Basically, executive producer/director/performer/emcee Mike Collins tells the audience at the top, the show won’t kill you.
Or, at least, he and his creative team certainly would rather it not.
After making abundantly clear the fact that everyone involved with the show and employed by the host venue is fully vaccinated, Collins explains: “And for your comfort, you should know that the Blumenthal has upgraded the HVAC systems in all of their theaters... The air in this room changes out every seven minutes.”
The hundreds of masked-up folks in the crowd emit oohs, and ahhs.
Collins smiles. “Well, I’m glad you’re happy with that,” he says. “Let’s just experiment for a second, OK? Everybody exhale... Now you can safely breathe in in less than 10 minutes.”
Prior to the Aug. 19 return of “Charlotte Squawks,” which is one week into a parade of shows that will run through Sept. 12, it had been 26 long months since this ensemble last went out on the stage at Booth Playhouse at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center and cracked wise about the state of the world — and, more specifically, the state of Charlotte.
By and large, the performance we saw Thursday night seemed to indicate a welcome return.
But before we get too far into things here, a quick primer for those of you who might be uninitiated:
The name “Charlotte Squawks” is a twist on “Charlotte Talks,” the WFAE morning-radio program Collins hosts as part of his day job.
The concept for “Charlotte Squawks” borrows from “Saturday Night Live,” with its cheery video introduction of the cast at the beginning; its “Weekend Update”-like news casts in the middle; and its pre-recorded comedy sketches and fake commercials scattered throughout (perhaps the funniest being a hilarious black-and-white “ad” for “Providence: The Fragrance of South Charlotte”).
It also borrows from traditional musicals, with about 90% of the show being sung by members of the 11-person cast, with a two-act format and an intermission, and with a fair amount of dancing to accompany all that singing.
But more than anything else, it’s influenced by song-parody maestros like “Weird Al” Yankovic, with every one of the 22 numbers written by show lyricist Brian Kahn being some sort of re-imagining of a song that was either a hit for a famous musician, or of one plucked from a well-known Broadway musical.
So, for instance, Lionel Richie’s “Hello” becomes “LaMelo,” a hilarious ode to the Charlotte Hornets’ NBA Rookie of the Year, LaMelo Ball; and the line “And in my dreams I’ve kissed your lips a thousand times” becomes “And in my dreams we’ve drafted you a thousand times.”
Or a verse from Daniel Powter’s “Bad Day” that goes like this ...
Well you need a blue sky holiday
The point is they laugh at what you say
And I don’t need no carrying on
... becomes a sharp skewering of North Carolina’s disgraced Democratic Senate candidate Cal Cunningham (who, ahead of the 2020 election, was exposed as having sexted with a woman who was not his wife) that goes like this:
You’re leading the race with points to spare
The other guy doesn’t have a prayer
And then you have a damn affairrrrrrrrrrr
But although Cunningham does take one hard on the chin (he is, after all, an easy target), you should know that, generally speaking, the show leans to the left: Kahn saves his most wicked political trolling for the likes of conservatives.
Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Madison Cawthorn, Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene all are gleefully mocked.
There’s also a roasting of QAnon conspiracy theorists — an even easier target — by both humans and puppets in a parody medley inspired by the musical “Avenue Q.” But while “Avenue QAnon” is a clever title, for some reason the jokes in the song seem to land flat and felt dated, almost like it might have been originally written for last year’s canceled show and just retooled for 2021.
Personally, I’d have scratched both that one and the song that follows, a reach of a send-up of “Take Me or Leave Me” from “Rent” that adopts a slightly more vulgar title and pokes fun at the feud this year between Mecklenburg County Commission Chair George Dunlap and Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools Board Chair Elyse Dashew.
Remember their dust-up? Yes? Then maybe you’ll laugh. I didn’t hear much reaction, however, and the applause at the end was tepid, so I’m guessing many in the crowd just didn’t connect with a Charlotte story that insider-y.
At least, not like they connected with the scorn aimed at Historic Latta Plantation for its controversial Juneteenth event (funny stuff); the eviscerating of the Myers Park Country Club for its proposed plan for a “men’s-only” dining space (very funny stuff); or the ridiculing of the blinding purple lights atop the Truist tower in uptown (very, very funny stuff).
Oh, and also watch for F3 — the early-morning workout groups that are also men’s-only — to get turned into a punching bag (very, VERY funny stuff).
Meanwhile, Kahn also gets well-earned laughs for several of his biting pre-recorded video skits.
There’s one about a fake local hospital’s vision for drive-through medical services that go beyond vaccinations but, like vaccinations, could theoretically be done at Charlotte Motor Speedway while sitting inside your car. Tooth extractions, for instance. Or, um, gynecological exams.
Another video skit is for an amusingly conceived service that caters to Charlotteans who act so surprised and so crestfallen when iconic restaurants close, even though they hadn’t patronized the establishment in years.
Yet another is called “Fast and Furious 10: The Charlotte Merge,” which... well, all I can say is: You’ll recognize this stretch of road when you see it.
In fact, at the risk of spoiling any more of the many other surprises this show offers, I’ll stop here.
I’ll just add that there are a ton of giggle-inducing memes that appear on the screens beside and above the stage, so pay careful attention to those if you go. I’ll also say that the cast is quite good — even if it could stand to diversify a little bit in the future (you’ll see what I mean) — all of them keep swinging for the fences for the duration of each hour-long act, most of them parking it more often than they whiff.
And I’ll end this like I started it, with a COVID-aware announcement from Collins:
“You’ve been a really good audience,” he said before the night’s closing number. “We can hear you through your masks. It’s amazing. It actually works. Who knew? Who knew? We’ll keep it this way forever.”
I think he was just joking. I mean, he was just joking. Wasn’t he?
See Charlotte Squawks 16: Going Viral!
Where: Booth Playhouse at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center.
When: 8 p.m. this Friday and Saturday; 7:30 pm next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday; and 10 more performances between Sept. 3-12.
Details: www.blumenthalarts.org.
This story was originally published August 27, 2021 at 2:08 AM.
