Before the show started, the audience was asked to submit topics via Twitter for the Rap-O-Logue. While I wasn’t entirely certain what sort of topics they wanted, I decided that I would tweet about a current event that would be amusing enough for a late night talk show host’s opening monologue. After all, this was meant to mirror shows like The Tonight Show, right?
@RightNowCKC NBC dumping Trump
Good. That should make for an easy one-liner, I thought.
But Right NOW! isn’t a mere copycat of talk shows. It’s a whirlwind of energy that sweeps the audience into interacting with the show–the tweets only being one such part.
Turns out that people tweet could suggest anything. Sure, you can tweet about current events like Republican Presidential Nominees and Rachel Dolezal, but you are more than welcome to tweet any random word, like “slacks,” and Park Slope native Carolyn Castiglia will fit the topic into her verses as she raps her opening monologue at the start of the show. In retrospect, I really wish I had tweeted something random like, “Brussel sprouts.” Or maybe “Apple orchard” would have been better? Oooh! Next time, I’ll tweet “the Gowanus Whole Foods!” Ah, well. I can’t change the past. I must look forward to the future!
Especially since this show’s theme was about just that–the Future. Each show has a theme for the evening. This means the variety sketches, the guests, and the game show component will all be tied together in some way.
The game part of the show required two volunteers from the audience to put on a space helmet, drink a carton of orange juice, eat two slices of beef jerky, catch a peanut, spin three times, do ten lunge jumps, and finally, take the space helmet off.
I was one of the volunteers.
As my competitor and I did our tasks, the lovely band leader Rebecca Vigil sang a parodied version of “Rocket Man.” By the time I had spun around three times, I think I felt what it must have been like to be William Shatner during his infamous performance of the song.
In spite of my dizziness, I found success. I won the match by a complete fluke–my opponent forgot that she had to take off her helmet to finish the game. My prize would appear later in the show, when Rebecca Vigil sang a song all about my love life. My love life may not be that great, but apparently, it makes for one hell of a song.
The sketches were amusing, including one withKatie Hartman and her time capsule that contained comical futuristic food and fashion trends, as well as a skit with a charlatan psychic (played by Vicky Kuperman). My favorite part of Right NOW!, however, was the talk show portion of the show when Carolyn and her guests chatted while noshing on an Edible Arrangements fruit display. (Carolyn confided after the show that the Edible Arrangements display is the most expensive part of production. This makes perfect sense, in my opinion. One should never skimp on strawberries.) The guests were Elizabeth Yuko, a bioethicist, and Stacie Ellickson-Hastie, a landscape architect, and they discussed some possible challenges that humanity might (or, in some cases, will) face in the future. While this may sound like the driest part of the show, it was anything but. Carolyn kept the energy high and the guests were as quick-witted as they were intelligent.
Overall, an enjoyable experience. Would recommend. Be prepared for anything when attending this show–and join in on the action when they ask for volunteers!
The next show is this month, July 29th at The Slipper Room. The theme will be Feminism. Remember: tweet “The Gowanus Whole Foods” for me as a topic for the Rap-O-Logue. Or tweet “Apple Orchard.” Or tweet something news-related. Why? Well, because. Because it’s Right NOW! Because why not?
