Skip to main content

Larry Owens review – A Strange Loop star’s musical comedy showcase

Assembly Roxy, Edinburgh
The US writer, comedian and actor’s cabaret show includes potent songs about sexuality, identity and police violence

Triple-threat doesn’t begin to describe the abilities of Larry Owens, a writer, singer, comedian, Broadway star and more besides. The Baltimore man originated the main role of Usher in hit musical A Strange Loop and appeared in the TV comedies Abbott Elementary and Search Party, all while honing his musical-comedy craft on the same New York cabaret circuit as recent Edinburgh favourite Cat Cohen. His skills are as blazing as Cohen’s, even if this fringe debut is not the finished article.

It’s arguably more showcase than show, with Owens hurling at us song after song – now angel-voiced, now raising the rafters. This stuff is engineered for whoops and cheers, a response which, if not forthcoming, Owens will openly insist upon. His opening number heralds his uncategorisable individuality: he’s “too white for black people, too poor for rich people”, and – take a deep breath – “too self-actualised to be recognised by the marginalised identities white men made to define me”. Later tracks hymn his transactional relationship with his therapist, or find him pastiching Billie Eilish and Lil Nas X in comic songs about, respectively, the opioid epidemic and having a homophobic mum.

Continue reading...

from The Guardian https://ift.tt/05TtIM2
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How Rico Lewis helped harden up Manchester City’s treble challenge | Jamie Jackson

Guardiola believes advent of the teenage talent sowed seeds of change that turned his side into champions again Mid-January, the Etihad Campus. Before Tottenham’s visit a discontented Pep Guardiola is addressing a Manchester City team meeting that includes Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, John Stones and Ederson. The champions are in second place, eight points behind Arsenal, each having played 18 games. Performances have dipped and so has the attitude of his players. The final match before the World Cup was a 2-1 home defeat by Brentford . Since the tournament, City have beaten Leeds and Chelsea, drawn with Everton and lost their previous outing , 2-1 at Manchester United. Seven points from 15 is not championship-defending form and, when being knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Southampton is factored in, Guardiola can see City’s campaign derailing. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/h8WjbMX
Post a Comment
Read more

JD Vance says US needs control of Greenland to fend off China and Russia

Vice-president criticises Denmark’s treatment of Arctic island and says it should come under US ‘security umbrella’ JD Vance told troops in Greenland that the US has to gain control of the Arctic island to stop the threat of China and Russia as he doubled down on criticising Denmark, which he said “have not done a good job”. Under increasingly strained relations between the White House and Greenland and Denmark, the US vice-president said during a visit to Pituffik space base on Friday: “Our message to Denmark is very simple: You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland. You have underinvested in the people of Greenland and you have underinvested in the security architecture of this incredible, beautiful landmass.” Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/ANDJCac
Post a Comment
Read more

Wandsworth escape accused says it was ‘foolish’ to jail him with his ‘skill set’

Daniel Khalife, 23, says he absconded because he was ‘terrified’ of being locked up with dangerous offenders A former British soldier has told a jury he did not hand himself in after he escaped from prison because he was “finally demonstrating what a foolish idea it was” to imprison someone with his “skill set”. Daniel Khalife, 23, told the court he absconded from Wandsworth prison while on remand because he was “terrified” of being locked up with “serious sex offenders” and “terrorists” who wanted to kill him, and that he did not think his imprisonment would be in the public interest. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/vRZHkaw
Post a Comment
Read more