Last night, I learned that a somewhat foulmouthed comedienne/actress with a whiskey contralto whose work entertains me* has a more than adequate singing voice, with remarkable range. She's got a nice ear for harmony, too, dances well and has considerable ability at accents when speaking.
It was, among other things, a reminder that acting and comedy are crafts (or skilled trades, if you prefer) and people who at good at it (which overlaps with being a "star" only a little) often have considerable depth to their skills. It might look like play, and indeed, a pretty or handsome face and physique can cover many deficits; but for the rest of 'em it's like knitting or mountain-climbing or welding, a thing a person's got to work at to be any good and quite something to see when it's done well.
We do not live in an age of totally untrammeled boobery and undeserved fame; it's not wall-to-wall "reality stars" who are famous only for being famous, at least not yet.
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* If you're one of the many varieties of thin-skinned types who can't tolerate performers whose politics don't align with your own, her work is not for you; she's all over the place along those lines and if you weren't vexed by the opening monologue, one of the next two or three bits will set you off. Not to worry -- the entertainment Automat's got lots of different kinds of sandwiches and sides; you'll find another place to spend your nickel if you just keep looking.
Who might she be? I'd like to see some of her work.
ReplyDeleteYou probably have. But Susie Myerson, the character Alex Borstein plays on TV, is very different from her standup work despite both being brash and a little grumpy.
ReplyDeleteI think her humor will make most men blush, get angry or both, and her politics are much closer to yours than mine. But she's funny as hell and has unexpected talents.