Vivacious, high-octane, scintillating. All words that can be used to describe 7th Grade Sketch Comedy’s opening show of the year.
Friday, Sept. 3, flocks of twamps descended upon Ewell Hall to watch the 7th Grade Sketch Comedy’s performance of Bicurious George. After weaving through the labyrinth that is Ewell, there was a long line of excited patrons waiting to see the show. With 15 minutes left until the start of the show, there was such a large crowd that the only spots remaining in the room were standing room only. The group was shattering expectations, and the show hadn’t even started yet.
Sitting in the theatre waiting for the show to begin, there was a palpable energy produced by the crowd and the aura of 7th Grade Comedy. There was a sense that this was going to be an event — something we have all been sorely missing and wanting for so long.
Not only did 7th Grade Sketch Comedy maintain the energy throughout the night, they amplified it. The 11-member cast served up a litany of sketches, resembling a higher-tempo Saturday Night Live.
The group was able to hit a range of emotions in their show. According to Bilal Mahmood ’23, the group’s performance was raunchy at times, but the group was also able to keep the audience hooked through more serious sketches.
Through a mixture of well-set-up sketches and then short slap-stick or puns, 7th Grade Comedy captivated the audience in a non-stop display of comedy at its finest. Their performance could have easily passed as a professional comedy show. Even though everyone was wearing masks, I felt the most connected with fellow students that I have since the pandemic started. There was something about being a part of the audience and the collective consciousness of the night that wouldn’t have been possible last semester.
Hollis Bannister ’24, who had watched 7th Grade Comedy’s pre-recorded show in April was impressed with the energy the group brought in-person.
“I was expecting similar vibes to the pre-recorded show, but 7th Grade Comedy was much funnier, higher energy and exciting live,” Bannister said.
Clearly the relationship between the performers and the audience was the main difference Friday night. The performers fed off the crowd and the crowd fed off the performers. A beautiful demonstration of the importance of a collective event to the wellbeing of a community.
The crowd favorite seemed to be “Grilled Cheese,” a rather risque sketch involving a director who claimed to have done the deed plenty of times presiding over a sex scene.
What ensued was an absurdly contrived sex scene, which was seemingly written by someone who had never experienced sex before. The scene started off with one actor saying deadpan “I am ready to penetrate” and the other saying “I am ready to receive.” The two actors then proceeded to talk about what position to use because “there are so many and I know all of them.” They decided upon “the doggy way, where we have sex like the animal.” The only person in the sketch who raised objections to the bizarre sex scene was the assistant director, but his cries for a realistic sex scene were met by bewilderment from the actors and crew that saw no problem with how the scene was written.
The scene’s absurdity climaxed with the actress doing the bridge pose and the actor awkwardly flailing underneath her. It was a sight to behold. The assistant director, who was visibly shaken at this point, abruptly cut the scene and attempted to call out the director for never having had sex before. Yet, the actors and crew chastised the assistant director for ruining a perfectly good scene. At this point, the assistant director saw the writing on the wall and asked each actor and crew member if they had previously had sex with the director; to which each responded by placing their pointer finger on the side of their mouth and brandishing a coy look. The answer to the assistant director’s question was all too clear.
“Bicurious George” was comedic genius from start to finish and my words cannot even do the the comedy showcase justice. I would recommend attending 7th Grade Comedy’s future performances if you are interested in laughing for 50 minutes straight at witty, unconventional comedy with an energetic flair. At only $1, the price of entry is more than worth it.
Great coverage! Wish I had made it!