EOGHAN:
“You know what I love? FLEA MARKETS.”
Last night, August 6th, I was among the audience at the Largo for the second and final night of comedic sketches co-written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood, Magnolia) and starring Maya Rudolph and Fred Armisen . The show, really a staged reading, comprised about a dozen vignettes, all funny, some hilarious, dealing with the failures and kooky successes of coupledom.
In one piece, two drunk lovers, fawning over each other, both want to say something, and they agree to speak simultaneously:
“I want to have a threesome.”
“I hate your family.”
The house came down.
In another, a first date grows intimate as two strangers discuss their respective “humping” of stuffed animals/pillows as adolescents. The date is a success.
These two bits, representing opposite moments in a relationship, the former the collapse of connection, the latter its formation, are both seriously funny and weirdly sincere. As was the entire revue.
Rudolph was impressive, pulling off subtlety in addition to some satisfyingly broad grimaces, and Armisen was solid as well. And, lest we forget we are in the same territory as Magnolia, Jon Brion, Anderson’s oft composer, provided off-kilter counterbalance to the performances with his live accompaniment. You can catch Brion at the Largo just about every Friday, apparently.
A few pieces petered out after their punchlines were delivered, marring otherwise brilliant builds, as when Rudolph describes, to her eager husband, in a striking version of dubbed English, her exploration of the flesh while traveling “the Orient,” but then proceeds to talk about an electric bill for a bit too long. Overall, though, these missteps were minor.
There may never be a chance to see this, but, should an opportunity present itself, I highly recommend exploring the lighter side of the man who brought us Daniel Plainview. Turns out he can do guffaw-inducing comedy better than most. Maybe he's what SNL needs.
8.3
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