A REVIEW OF A REVUE

Whatever happened to the topical revue format? As differentiated from musical revues that recycle old, established songs by particular writers, the topical revue presented new material in both songs and sketches. Once a mainstay of nightclub and theatre entertainment, the format was a potpourri of songs and comedic skits, maybe with a theme, maybe by many contributing writers, maybe with stars, maybe with up-and-coming talents, maybe sharp and satirical, or maybe more light and fun. They contained fresh new pieces, probably reflections on (or parodies of) aspects of modern life: current trends, fads, celebrities, pop culture flavors of the day, politics, and whatever is in people’s heads and the headlines.

At 54 Below, (now a nonprofit organization) #IRL is a spiffy throwback to those old revues, such as: Julius Monk’s various nightclub revues in the 1950s and 60s; New Faces of 1952 (and other years); The Mad Show; Lend an Ear; The Littlest Revue; Shoestring Revue; I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change; Tuscaloosa’s Calling Me But I’m Not Going; Personals; A…My Name Is Alice; Diamonds; Naked Boys Singing!; Secrets Every Smart Traveler Should Know; Oh, Calcutta!; not to mention (but I will) the trio of: One for the Money; Two for the Show; and Three to Get Ready. If you don’t know of — or never saw — most of these, that’s easy to understand. Topical revues don’t usually have a long shelf life for being relevant as time goes by. Does the revue Bush Is Bad, about a certain US president, tickle us the same way years later? Irving Berlin’s As Thousands Cheer used newspaper stories of the time (1933) as fodder for its fair game fare. Other revues winked at things that would be unknown or distant memories for latter day audiences: a song titled “Schraffts” was about the restaurant chain that disappeared decades ago (but is coming back), or a couple about the long-gone Roxy Theatre or a number about movie actress Rochelle Hudson.

#IRL: That’s a hashtag and the letters that stand for In Real Life. Poking fun at people in contemporary society, the goals that drive them, and the things that drive them crazy — specifically life in the technological age — consists of clever and pointed writing by wordsmith David Javerbaum (The Daily Show, Cry-Baby The Musical, An Act of God) and composer Zina Goldrich (Ever After The Musical). The presentation in concert form made its world premiere, promisingly, on April 25. It was directed by Richard Israel, music-directed by Nicholas Connors, with a cast that included Mary Faber, Alex Getlin, David Goldsmith, Bryonha Marie, and Jason Michael Snow. Publicity for the show describes it as a piece that “musically explores the way we live today —the good, the bad, and the pickleball,” one that “delves into our hopes and anxieties, the technologies that both connect and divide us, and our ongoing search for human connection in an increasingly chaotic world that, despite living on devices, still happens In Real Life.” That’s a pretty accurate description.

The presentation begins with a kind of tease — the actors pretend that they are on a zoom call, not realizing they are in a live show, making the point that facing life and work without face-to-face interactions is all too common. But then they jump into the program covering such timely things as Artificial Intelligence, Instagram, buzz words like “mindfulness,” getting help from a tech expert at the Apple Store, becoming a news junkie. There’s a sketch that parodies a radio program — NPR’s All Things Considered — called “Most Things Considered,” and imagines future lunacies like raising money for a program called “Pods for the Poor” that would fund podcasts for the financially challenged and replacing the firm guarantees of the Constitution with a  “list of suggestions.” Lines that jump out as grin-worthy include: “The future only looks bleak if you look at it”; “I love her for the person she appears to be”; “Why do we ever go out when we could stay home and play Scrabble?”; and the more wistful “The things I thought were right were wrong.”

Not everything hits a home run, with some things just a bit belabored or predictable. How much you smile with recognition of surprise will depend on your taste and reference point (and, perhaps, your generation or how locked into technology and media you may be). An extended bit about being disappointed and displeased with many things centers on gleefully saying that they “suck,” using that coarse term over and over, which didn’t match other wittier, warmer, and more sophisticated humor.

The performers sang well and delivered the punchlines and ever-changing whirls of emotions and characterizations, in solo turns and with each other, interacting well whether they were playing parent and offspring, lovers, strangers, or adversaries. Still, #IRL feels more like a showcase for the material than the performers — which is apt for a revue with something to say. And it is apparently a work in progress that is in its early stages of polish and public presentation. There will be tweaks and new ideas and things that are yet to happen in real life that will likely be fodder for this revue about the woes and wonders we wallow through in real life.

Topical revues are becoming an endangered species, with some traces of the style seen on TV’s Saturday Night Live, and scrappy comedy clubs and “special material” songs and parodies in occasional cabaret shows or fundraiser events. Of course, the many editions of Forbidden Broadway that skewer shows and stars of theatre are in the tradition, even without using original melodies. And who knows what else might come along to surprise us.