Wednesday, May 24, 2006

"Sister Womyn Sister" & "You Look Veryveryprettytoday"

Recognize these lines? THE KATHY AND MO SHOW: Parallel Lives is being run on HBO in Demand until June 18th. Whether you lived through the 80's as an adult, or have always wondered what your elders like PeaceBANG are making fun of, this show is the most brilliant piece of off-off theatre comedy that existed that decade.

(PB: sorry I called you an elder; really, we're middlers, but that didn't flow right in the sentence)

Although this show was filmed by HBO in '91, I first saw it in a gay bar in Philadelphia in '85 or '86, which began my own personal Rocky Horror-esque stalking of the show wherever and whenever they took it. I still have my Giant Kathy and Mo button.

Some of my favorite bits didn't make it from the full length stage to the one hour tv format (most of the material about religion and sex and abortion and the deletion of these bits made me cranky.) That whined, everyone should run out and pay for HBO for a month just so that you can watch this incredible piece of cultural commentary. It won an OBIE and 2 Cable Ace awards, and I can nearly guarantee that if you lived through the 80's you'll wet yourself laughing. If you're younger and don't remember the womyn's or LG culture from the time it'll be an interesting experiment in cultural observation. You can let me know if it's funny to you.

Also, Harold and the Purple Crayon is playing if that tips you over the top.

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