‘SHE THE PEOPLE,’ EDGE,
‘She the People’ mines politics for thought-provoking fun
During the Brett Kavanaugh hearings, comedians struggled and stumbled.
But the cast of “She the People,” a live sketch comedy show aimed at lampooning the patriarchy, didn’t avoid the horrors. The cast rewrote a joke during the proceedings to get a laugh and make a point about victim shaming — the punch in the joke pointed out a playground bully was right on track to become a Supreme Court justice.
“The scene existed before but during the hearing we couldn’t not add a new final line,” comedian Jess DeBac co said ahead of the show’s Feb. 18 to March 8 run at Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts. “The line was beautifully impactful, incredibly emotional and it’s a gift that we were able to do that through a sketch comedy performance.”
The Second City’s “She the People: Girlfriends’ Guide to Sisters Doing it for Themselves” represents a nice, necessary marriage of politics and comedy. While late night TV and streaming sitcoms have plenty to say about our modern moment, they often focus on quick hits and simple jokes. DeBacco doesn’t have a problem with broad, simple comedy, but loves that this show can sit with issues a little longer.
“With this show, what has been really cathartic is having the audience, particularly women over 30, come up to us after the show so emotional and telling us, ‘Thank you for making me laugh about this topic, thank you for making me think about this,’” she said. “The show has more impact than us clowns even realize.”
“There is definitely room for comedy that talks about nothing, that is just an escape,” she said. “But we have the right to speak out against authority. We have the right to criticize our government. One of the old professions is the court jester, but now that role seems to be in jeopardy.”
Created, designed and performed by the women of The Second City, “She the People” has swapped out cast members and sketches as it has evolved over years (the Kavanaugh joke is out for more topical material). The one constant has been humor: Yes, it can get heavy. It can also be brash and bold, smart and seriously stupid. Like the best bits from “Saturday Night Live,” where many Second City alums end up, you laugh and think all at once.
For DeBacco, who has spent years in The Second City system, it’s a dream on so many levels. First off, she’s making money.
“I love the work, I love touring, I love getting paid to do what I love,” she said with a laugh. “It’s funny when shows are your job, when going to work is getting up on stage. The cool thing is that even if you are having an off day, that shifts when the lights go up. Nothing can replace those endorphins. But there’s no question the mental health of the country is volatile and as comedians we are not exempt from that. We can’t ignore it, we have to use it.”
“She the People: Girlfriends’ Guide to Sisters Doing it for Themselves,” at Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, Feb. 18 to March 8. For tickets and details on pay-gap pricing (all self-identifying women who use the code PGP online pay 80% of the price of full-price tickets), go to huntingtontheatre.org.