Dual Humour

During Fringe, I saw Elizabeth McCain's excellent one woman's show.  I wrote about it here.  She told her story with grace and humour.  It was about her life, growing up lesbian in the deep south.  I noticed the audience laughed at her situations in groups: southerners, gays, and civilians (in this context, that includes me) would laugh at different parts.

I have also noticed you can get laughs from different groups with the same joke.

Are you familiar with a mermaid's purse?  I've found these mysterious objects washed up on shore

"mermaid's purse"

many times before I found out both their common name and what they are: egg cases for some sharks.  I sometimes pick up items from the beach and I have one somewhere.  Hey, in the pre-interwebs days it wasn't so easy.  I think I found in the LaRousse encyclopedia of animals.

I described this to a civilian friend and said "I kept it because it goes well with a couple of my dresses" which got a laugh because, hey, why would I possibly have dresses?

I described this to a t-friend and said the same line and got a laugh because, well, it's way too small to be a useful purse.

I need to find more ways to do a double-joke. 

Hopefully, a better one than that one. :)

I am a bit backlogged right now.  Halloween has come and gone, and, before that, I had a fun day at the Renaissance Festival.  But the last few weeks of writing has taken a lot out of me, and I'm going to take a couple of days off.  Saturday and Sunday I think I will see what "relationship" cartoons I have and I'll be writing more next week.

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Meanwhile, Back at the Fringe....

(note to ezs: I saw your comment.  I'd be happy to look at your blog, but the address is wrong)

 I mentioned "Tame" as a show to miss.  The next two that we saw were better.

The first was "Bethesda," which I had seen reviewed and it sounded interesting.  Plus, Bethesda is just over the bridge in Maryland.  It was a family drama, well acted and well scripted.  My only complaint is, the scene kept changing from Bethesda to Central America and they'd always have the same South-of-the-Border music playing during the scene changes.  I would have liked for the music to cue me as to where the scene will be next.  Bethesda is playing tonight, tomorrow, and Saturday.

After the show, we were standing in the lobby of the Goethe Institut.  Both the second and third plays were there, but on different stages.  That's where I congratulated one of the actors on the fine show.

Mostly, I'm a fan of comedy, and comedies abound at Fringe, but these were two dramas.  The final show was a one-woman show called "A Lesbian Belle Tells."  Elizabeth McCain, a now-local woman who grew up in small-town Mississippi, tells about her southern family and how both she and they came to terms with her lesbianism.  It was interesting, touching, funny, and enlightening and I really enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would.  I mean, for a straight Yankee.  Charity (not only from small-town Alabama ~ she actually knew some of the same people Elizabeth knew) enjoyed it a lot more.  In fact, I noticed something funny: she'd talk and there would be laughter, either from her telling of the story or from recognition, but different groups.  After a while, I could recognise the lesbians, southerners, and, um, "others."

She does her show at venues other than Fringe, where she has two more shows.  If you go, say hi after the show and tell her Meg and Charity sent you. :)

And you can find her on her facebook page.

One more note....  Last year we saw a show called "Caberet XXXY" from Pinky Swear Productions.  It was original, funny, and I had a great (drab) time.  I wanted to see it because I thought there might be a t-connection from the letters.  It turns out they have a three woman troupe and a guy joined for that year's show.  This year they're doing "Caberet XXX: Everybody F*cking Dies" and I hope I get a chance to see one of the remaining four shows.

Get out and enjoy the Fringe.  I guarantee if you're going out dressed you won't be the most outrageous person there.  In fact, people might ask what show you're doing. :)

And I also guarantee you'll love the shows.  Or not.  Hey, it's fringe.  It's kinda mixed.  If you want a boilerplate blockbuster go to Broadway.

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