"This Is the Week That Is,' by 1812 Productions (2nd review)

The production of This Is the Week That Is that I saw on October 7, wasn't the one reviewed negatively by BSR's Dan Rottenberg. (For that review, click here.) Dan attended the production's premiere; subsequently, the 1812 troupe added new—and funny— material about last week's presidential debate and the Labor Department's latest unemployment statistics. The almost daily updating of the script is one of this venture's assets.

Among the best moments were Reuben Mitchell's spot-on impression of President Obama's long pauses and tendency to ramble, a visit to a Romney home that resembled Versailles in Jorge Cousineau's visual projections, a third-grade election campaign, and a skit in which candidates attempting to look like working folks morphed into The Village People singing "YMCA."

Artistic director Jennifer Childs was her usual enjoyable self as Patsy from South Philly, who philosophizes about the world from her stoop at Fifth and Shunk, and in a spoof of theatrical opening remarks. Dave Jadico was a versatile comedian and musician, Don Montrey was the news anchorperson and other personae, Aimé Kelly was a strong-voiced belter and comedienne (she did a nifty imitation of Al Sharpton), and Alex Bechtel was musical director and a sketch performer.

Two hours vs. 22 minutes

But I'd like to address Dan's more general criticism: that this locally produced show can't compare to those of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. Those TV programs satirize politics more acutely but, hey, they are performers at the very top of their profession.

We also should consider that "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" each provide only 22 minutes of comedy, whereas This Is the Week That Is tries to entertain for close to two hours.

One other difference is this: The two Comedy Central shows are star vehicles centered on a dominant host. "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" spotlight two vivid characters: Stewart as a combative liberal, Colbert as a caricature of a right-wing superpatriot.

This Is the Week, on the other hand, presents the communal contributions of a collaborative troupe of half a dozen actors. Jennifer Childs, the multi-talented artistic director of 1812 Productions, has studiously refused to monopolize the spotlight.

Yes, Childs has created a recurring character in Patsy from South Philly. But Patsy doesn't host the show from start to finish, the way Stewart and Colbert do.

Different goals

Stewart and Colbert aim to provoke and attack. 1812's goal seems to be good-natured camaraderie— to send the audience out smiling. It's more analogous to "Saturday Night Live," whose fans tune in every week in the full understanding that each show is a crapshoot. It's a good week on "SNL" if you find two or three good segments among many that fail.

By that standard, I found this seventh annual edition of This Is the Week That Is more consistent than any recent production of "SNL."

No matter how brilliant Stewart and Colbert maybe, a TV show is simply no substitute for a live performance, especially one that involves the audience as the 1812 Troupe does. Having sat in Jon Stewart's studio audience, I can attest that it's great fun to watch him commit bloopers and re-do his muffed segments. But for those who can't schlep up to New York for one of his tapings (or Colbert's), This Is the Week That Is offers an amply suitable alternative. ♦


To read another review by Dan Rottenberg, click here.