Poked and Growing Up Butch
Believe it or not, this is funny. Actually, under the direction of Jim Zulevic, all the best sketches in Poked are sexual–not surprising since GayCo’s forte is personal rather than political comedy. In one of the best bits, Andy Eninger, John Bonny, and Tim Sniffen sing sadly about the perils of polyamory while huddled together in bed, making light of a situation that even the gay community tends not to talk much about.
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This practically perfect sketch is both biting and affectionate–terms that also describe the other half of the bill, Jerinic’s well conceived and executed autobiographical solo show, Growing Up Butch. She was the only one of three children in a Croatian immigrant family who turned out to be straight. Still, she was nicknamed “Butch” almost at birth–because her uncle thought she wasn’t pretty enough to be called by her real name, Kathy, and her newly arrived parents didn’t understand the nuances of American slang. “The only people who call me by my real name are Visa and MasterCard,” Jerinic says.
In the future, if and when gays and lesbians have full civil rights, there may no longer be a need for tales about the community as a whole. But there will always be a need for the well-told stories of individuals, like Growing Up Butch.
