Theaterweek |
Buffalo Zings!by Anthony Chase |
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Let me add my voice to the chorus of those enchanted by O’Connell and Company’s satiric romp through Buffalo and Erie County politics, Buffalo Zings! Hot, Tedium, and Wild. No public figure goes un-skewered in this not entirely good-natured, but wholly honest send-up of the mayoral candidates, local weathermen, Nancy Naples, Sam Hoyt, the Common Council—and especially Joel Giambra and his … supporters.
The original material is surprisingly good, and word is that new material is being prepared for a sequel. The evening is decidedly amateurish, in the way that the “Carol Burnett Show” was, and this unevenness adds to the fun. Buffalo Zings has the flavor of a cynical Mickey Rooney-Judy Garland let’s-put-on-a-show spectacular. The sets, costumes, wigs, and sometimes the performances, are deliciously cheesy. I had a marvelous time.
Mary Kate O’Connell is in rare form as an intoxicated Mary Poppins (It’s going to take a whole boatload of sugar to make this budget go down!) and as a local morning talk show hostess. David Butler, Loraine Donnell-Gray, and Tim White are also at the top of their games as familiar Western New York personalities.
The show has proven so popular that O’Connell and Company has extended it beyond its original closing date to a Sunday’s only schedule. Give it a try—it is a cathartically good time!
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Issue Navigation> Issue Index > v4n44: Permanence and Change (11/2/05) > Theaterweek > Buffalo Zings! This Week's Issue • Artvoice Daily • Artvoice TV • Events Calendar • Classifieds |
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