I have been told, frequently, I am funny enough to have become a comedian. A nervous bout of stage fright coupled with the craving to be universally loved and adored while knowing that never happens put to bed any delusions this may ever happen. Also, when I was a teen, I was exposed a bar raised so high, an accomplishment so great, it seemed almost foolish to try. Probably the single, greatest stand-up one woman shows ever created.
Whoopi On Broadway.
The show originated as The Spook Show, a series of character monologues. The show was picked up by director Mike Nichols, and debuted on Broadway, renamed Whoopi on Broadway and ran for 156 performances, one of the shows taped and rebroadcast on HBO. She won a Drama Desk award for this performance as well as a Grammy for best comedy album. Her performance led to her role in The Color Purple.
But what made it so poignant?
She created characters that were funny, engaging and thoughtful. There's the drug dealer (with a PhD.) that stumbles upon the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam. The surfer girl who discovers she is pregnant and all alone. The little black girl who wishes to be white with long blonde hair. The Jamaican companion of The Old Raisin. The physically disabled caregiver who dreams of agility and the man who falls in love with her and takes her dancing.
There is an art, a grace to creating characters you can laugh at while you fall in love with them. There is a truth to these characters that reaches deep inside you. I've been the little girl who wore a slip on her head, pretending to have long, luxurious hair. Someone who limitations may not have been physical but were felt nonetheless. One who finds friendship and sorrow in the unlikeliest of places.
It's recommended watching.
http://youtu.be/UDqvQZC3tSc
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