Philadelphia Weekly

Considering 1812 Productions has a well-deserved reputation as Philadelphia's funniest theater, expectations were high for the company's This Is the Week That Is: The Election Special. After all with the gigantic personalities occupying the democratic and republican presidential tickets it's almost impossible to imagine 1812's latest incarnation of TITWTI (there've been two previous versions) as being anything but nonstop hilarity. Unfortunately in this case the third time is not the charm and Election is not particularly special.

Conceived and directed by Jennifer Childs, Election follows the same format as the previous versions of TITWTI, both of which likewise explored humor in politics. But in Election the comic sketches and musical numbers seem uninspired and routine.

The opening video featuring young children chanting the Obama motto "yes we can" is more cute than funny. Similarly a scene in which politically conservative editorial comments are set to music falls flat.

Much of the first act is hit-and-miss. A skit featuring the nation's founding fathers debating gun laws is mildly amusing, but a beauty pageant involving the candidates highlight's one of the show's chief problems: Obama and Biden may be the pair to vote for, but the McCain-Palin team is considerably funnier. With Steven Wright portraying Obama as a shallow deity and Tony Braithwaite depicting Biden as a loud-mouthed curmudgeon, the democrats are dull. Conversely Anthony Lawton's arthritic McCain and Jennifer Childs perky Palin are hilarious performing the insipid pop tune "A Little Bit County" and the sight of Childs as Palin wearing a wrap-around polar bear stole (the bloody bullet hole wound between the eyes adding the perfect touch) is sickeningly funny.

However after the erratic first act Election finds its footing in the second act, which is dominated by a witty Saturday Night Live-type news parody.

Starring Braithwaite as a strident anchor, the news parody works because it dares to offend, offering a series of pointed barbs on everything from Obama's wardrobe to Rudolph Giuliani's obsession with 9/11. Buoyed by Braithwaite' crack comic timing and impressive improvisational skills that allow him to stray from the script, it is the one section of Election that manages to be both theatrical and spontaneous. Unfortunately it's not nearly long enough and in the end one suspects that Election's relative lack of success may have more to do with the nature of the presidential contest than the show's uneven material. With the economy in the tank and the dim but dangerous Palin potentially only a heartbeat away from the oval office, the race for president (and the frightening possibility of a Republican victory) is simply too scary to laugh about.

Reefer Madness

It is extremely rare to see a show in which every element of the production is successful, but that is just the case with the wickedly funny "joint" production of the musical Reefer Madness from the Montgomery Theater and 11th Hour Theatre Company. A ridiculous but clever parody of the 1936 propaganda film warning teenagers against the dangers of marijuana, director Megan Nicole O'Brien's staging is both impeccable and inspired. Furiously paced but never chaotic, the absurdly silly plot cautions that marijuana use will inevitably lead to cannibalism, animal abuse, pathological lying, vehicular manslaughter, and even murder! Backed by one of the tightest bands in recent memory (Dan Kazemi's musical direction is superb) the cast flies through the show's two acts with performances that are wonderfully over the top. Featuring Samuel Antonio Reyes' witty choreography and a team of hugely creative designers, stand-out performances among the terrific ensemble include Steve Pacek as the super-serious lecturer, Laura Giknis as the innocent Mary and Noah Mazaika, who is spectacular as Jimmy, a churchgoing "good apple" who smokes a joint and is instantly transformed into a hedonistic reefer-junkie. Composer Dan Studney's score includes only one terrific number (the supremely catchy "Mary Jane/Mary Lane"), but Dan Studney's lyrics are fun ("my innocence is ravaged, my virtue devoured/I can't count the strangers with whom I have showered") and the cast sings the songs with such gusto and conviction that we hardly care the music is less than spectacular.