Skip This: Sideshow Theater Company's Ekphrasis

By Julienne Bilker in Arts & Entertainment on Aug 19, 2009 5:20PM

Ekphrasis: Cave Walls to Soup Cans is intended to be a hilarious romp through the history of western art. It started out fine. Some missteps in comedic timing kept the Curator’s introduction from breaking out of the realm of “cute.” But we were still interested. Our first example of art-in-development: a scene between a French cave couple. Still just cute. Long, but cute. We figured the cast and script were just warming up. Unfortunately, it was all downhill from there.

Before we continue, allow us to stipulate the following: Here at Chicagoist, we are not easily offended. We can take jokes. Several - if not all - of us have what one might call sick senses of humor. We are not uptight people.

Why the disclaimer? Because our biggest problem with Ekphrasis is that most of it was in truly poor taste. There are few writers who can operate under the assumption that stereotypes are always funny while still being clever. Playwright E. Warren Perry Jr. is not one of them. Degradation is not the same as parody. Cheap-shots are “cheap” for a reason. They require little thought or specificity, and in turn earn little reward. The script is replete with fat/stupid/ugly girl jokes, terrible puns (not that kind that are so terrible they’re funny, just terrible) and pointless asides about Jewish slaves and Irish debtors. But honestly, while we weren’t amused, none of those really offended us all that much. But wait.

In a scene set in ancient Greece, a warrior comes home to his wife, who is throwing some pottery. He think it’s a stupid hobby, until he discovers that she can make him jugs that are specifically for his wine. To express his thanks, he enthusiastically declares that he will allow her unfettered access to his “love sword,” and will “stab it inside” her whenever she wants, “even after a day of rapes.”

There are ways to express that idea that are actually witty. But here’s the thing: raping and pillaging are not funny concepts in themselves. This kind of humor has to be earned and well-executed. History of the World: Part One comes to mind.

A few positives appeared in the show after that appalling exchange - for example, Karie Miller has some hilarious moments as Whistler’s Mother, and Mike Steele makes a great Truman Capote. But by the time those scenes rolled around, it was too late for us.

There is a transition toward the end of the show during which the Curator (Peggy Entrop) discusses the etymology of the word “bullshit” relative to art that tries too hard, or just isn’t enough. The word we were thinking of: irony.