Preview
FAHRENHEIT 7-11
Obscene But Not Heard
Runs September 23 to October 2
Big Secret Theatre (Epcor Centre)
Oh, Michael Moore, what have you wrought? Your cinematic George W. Bush bash fest, Fahrenheit 9/11, has already made you a target for predictable foes such as staunch Republicans, almost all of Texas and Fox News right-wing glory hound Bill O’Reilly. But now the work you’re so passionate about is becoming a punchline for such offbeat forces as an up-and-coming Calgary sketch comedy troupe.
A musical version of Moore’s latest flick is one of the tasty comedy morsels served up in Obscene But Not Heard’s latest creation, Fahrenheit 7-11.
In the show, company writer and performer Tony Binns takes on the guise of the plus-size filmmaker for the parody. "I have gone through so much of my life looking like Michael Moore, that a ball cap is all I pretty much need," says Binns, "which is kind of sad."
For Obscene But Not Heard, which also includes performers Tom Sarsons, Peter Strand Rumpel and Trevor Campbell, Fahrenheit 7-11 shapes up as their most ambitious show yet. "We’ve gone all out. We’re trying to get legitimate here," Binns quips. "We’ve got multimedia, a live musician, a full set and the show is directed by One Yellow Rabbit’s Andy Curtis. We’re bringing in the big guns for this one. We’re also doing it at the Big Secret Theatre as opposed to some little back-alley shack."
The show relies heavily on pre-produced video segments that are meshed together with live stage performances. This meant a lot of work for Sarsons, the primary video director, editor and continuity cop for the troupe.
Being an all-out sketch show, Fahrenheit 7-11 doesn’t stay in one place for too long. "We do deal with the Fahrenheit 9-11 thing a couple of times," says Binns, "but we prefer variety in our shows. We like to think of sketch comedy as a giant buffet of laughs."
Other segments featured include a bizarre art film on comedy and a bit entitled "Jesus Christ, Attorney at Law." Fahrenheit 7-11 also marks the return of a fan favourite from the group’s last show, Cirque Du So Lame. According to Binns, Guy Gravestone – Zombie Comedian will make an encore appearance and, he promises, "We’ve brought him back with style."
Obscene But Not Heard has always functioned as an all-male performance entity but, for the second show in a row, they have brought in the all-female Tiny Tuna Theatre as their opening act.
"Generally we like to keep a tight show of about an hour long." Binns says. "If you get much longer than that, people tend to start looking at their watches. But we also want the audience to get their money’s worth, so bringing in an opening act gives us more variety, a different perspective and leaves people thinking they really got a full show."
While there are no plans at present for the two troupes to combine forces for a gender-balanced show, Binns does not rule out the possibility. For now, he says Obscene But Not Heard wants to, "stick to what we are doing because we’re trying to move ourselves ahead and establish ourselves as a brand name."
Perhaps one day that brand name will be as well known for stirring up laughs as the name Michael Moore is known for stirring up controversy. |
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