One Nation Under Blog

Porcupine went to see the Second City Touring Company production, live at the Strand Theatre in Rockland, Maine, called 'One Nation, Under Blog'.

Second City has been around for ages, giving comics like Peter Boyle, Bill Murray, Andrea Martin, Harold Ramis, John & Jim Belushi, Mike Myers, Steve Carell, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Tina Fey, Joan Rivers, John Candy, Bonnie Hunt, Stephen Colbert, Chris Farley, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis and more their start as improv comedians. New talent combined with blogs and politics as subject matter seemed irresistable.

So Porcupine was a mite disappointed when the word 'blog' wasn't mentioned from start to finish.

That said, it was a good show. The six young comics were on a tour, and were bringing live, Second City style, comedy to hundreds of theatres. They had a few prepared sketches to start off. One was an office party - "Thanks for bringing the sandwiches! Punch! OK, everybody, let's get started. I'd like to thank you all for attending the annual Company Outing - - - - CHRISTOPHER'S GAY!!!!" Or a sketch with husbands vs. wives playing Pictionary, with the memorable line from a defeated, shreiking husband, "WE will keep playing, if I have to cut off my hand and draw with the bloody stump!!!!"

They asked the audience for promts - one was for 'an object, no matter how odd or exotic'. A flat, Maine accent drawled from the back of the hall, "Egg Separator!". While they did a passable skit, it would seem that wasn't the sort of unusual object they were used to getting! Later, they asked for news stories or current events. People called out - Chinese Olympics, Obama vs. Hillary - and so on, but then "Taser Tag!" shouted one voice. All of the cast members looked up slowly, thinking, "Uh, huh..." "It's a local thing" (and the Sheriff's office may be in big trouble with the County Commissioners over the drunken tasering of a deputy at a bachelor party gone out of hand). Tim responded, "So everything we've heard about Maine is true...."

The next day, Porcupine saw two of the young comics trying to climb up onto a scrap metal parking lot of the World's Largest Lobster, in his hotel parking lot, while simultaneously taking their own picture. Porcupine complimented them on the show, and they replied that Rockland was the end of their nationwide tour, and they while they were happy to be heading home. But they found the ocean and the small town atmosphere amazing. Porcupine agreed, and wished them well, as he headed across the street to start the morning at the Rock City Coffee Roasters.

Maybe later HE would blog......