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A CurtainUp Review
Get Your War On


Remember when the U.S. had a drug problem, and then we declared a War on Drugs, and now you can't buy drugs anymore?—Jason
Wouldn't it be weird if in twenty years Iraq had a functioning Social Security system, but American didn't?— Sarah


 Lana Lesley
Lana Lesley
(Photo: Jacques-Jean Tiziou)
Rude Mechanicals' Get Your War On,the latest creation from Austin, TX-based theatre troupe Rude Mechanicals last appearing in New York via Lipstick Traces. In Get Your War On, they've, is one of the smartest and funniest plays I've seen in a long time. Seriously. Go out and buy a ticket right now.

You'd think that plays about how stupid George W. Bush is and how pointless the war in Iraq is would be old hat by now — or at least not funny anymore. But this piece is fresh, edgy, and just tongue-in-cheek enough to pull it off. Rather than focusing on all the political mistakes of the last six years, the show merely touches on them and moves on, weaving them into a frenetic and hilarious send-up of both the Bush administration and politics in general.

Get Your War On is based on David Rees' satric comic strip of the same name which became an internet sensation and now appears in Rolling Stone. The Rude Mechanicals stage version takes sarcasm to a new art. If these guys took themselves and their observations seriously, the play would be little more than a civics lesson. Fortunately for us, they're better than that.

With five actors, five old-school overhead projectors, and a North Korea costume, the show touches on everything from 9/11 to Lux Luthor to Voltron to Halliburton to political readings of Sunday morning cartoons. It's incredibly literate, very sardonic, and after I stopped laughing I wanted to beat my head against a wall. Conservative Republicans and people easily frustrated by ineptitude should probably avoid this show. Everyone else, see it before it leaves town.

Get Your War On
Written by Kirk Lynn, adapted from David Rees' internet and Rolling Stone magazine comic
Directed by
Shawn Sides
Cast: Ron Berry, Jason Liebrecht, Lana Lesley, Kirk Lynn, and Sarah E. Richardson Lighting Design
Brian Scott
Sound Design
Robert S. Fisher
Costume Design: Laura Cannon
Scenic Design: Leilah Stewart
Running Time: One hour and five minutes, no intermission
59E59 Theatres, 59 E. 59th Street, 212-79-4200
From 1/09/07 to 1/28/07
Tues, Wed and Thurs @ 8:15 pm; Fri and Sat @ 8:15 and 10:30 pm; Sun @ 3:15 pm; also Mon Jan 22 @ 5pm
Tickets: $25, $15 students

Reviewed by Jenny Sandman based on January 10 performance
broadway musicals: the 101 greatest shows of all time
Easy-on-the budget super gift for yourself and your musical loving friends. Tons of gorgeous pictures.


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©Copyright 2007, Elyse Sommer.
Information from this site may not be reproduced in print or online without specific permission from esommer@curtainup.com