A rancorous and hilarious presidential debate is coming to the Corralitos Cultural Center Backyard stage on Saturday. The last performance of the year by musical commedia dell’arte performers behind Karen with a K—A Musical Temper Tantrum, the evening pits a red-state Karen against a blue-state Karen.
Built around the Karen meme of middle-aged white women who have become infamous online for their displays of entitlement and white privilege, this ever-evolving satire has Karen portrayed by three actresses who portray combative, disagreeable women stumbling through a very bad day, each showing a different side of the anti-hero. Producer/writer Laura Strange says that people tell her it feels like a mashup of Beach Blanket Babylon and Rocky Horror Picture Show that might have been performed by the Tubes.
At the Aug. 31 show, the ensemble gives us a gritty clash between two opposing Karens that offers plenty of rancor, from ironic observations to knock-down gut blows. One Karen is a Marjorie Taylor Greene wannabe (Judy Appleby) and the blue-state Karen (Stephanie Madrigal) is a sanctimonious, tree hugging, yoga-pants-strutting, pussy-hat-wearing, I’m-better-than-you Karen. The third Karen (Bonny June) moderates the debate.
Performing in operetta format, the band and singers can rock hard or turn doo-wop sweet. The seasoned musicians maintain a booty-shaking beat that drives the laugh-your-ass-off satirical lyrics. This presidential debate version of Karen with a K debuted on April 28 at Kuumbwa Jazz Center. I watched a video of it and saw it lampoon the culture wars that have dominated our news and social media for the last eight years.
The band sings a rocker, “It’s Going to Be a Shitty Day,” and the red-state Karen (June Appleby) brings out a poster of her hero, Marjorie Taylor Greene. The audience screams.
The band performs “Hail to the Chief” on kazoos and we get the campaign song from the Trump-loving-Karen that we eagerly dread.
Drill baby drill!
I’m mad as hell!
I’m outraged!
We’ve become weak!
I’m disgusted to see poop in the street
I’m angry.
The band sings, “She will be angry for you! She will be angry for you!” Karen goes into a weeping, ranting meltdown, screaming her victimhood, but finally rising like a phoenix to shout, “Send your contributions, I am your retribution!”
Then the lights turn blue, and out comes the liberal candidate. The music changes to a slow, steamy R&B song and self-absorbed, privileged, liberal Karen grinds her hips out to the mic and sings “I’m Better Than You.”
I drive electric, I reuse plastic
I sponsor poor children, in faraway lands
So grateful to me for my kind helping hands
My carbon footprint is minuscule, I’m better than you.
As “I’m Better Than You” ends, drummer Scott Kail and guitarist Jack Hanson play one of the more psychedelic pieces of the show, a warped Spike Jonesian version of a presidential march.
The show is about having fun from start to finish. Strange says, “It happens to have gotten popular, but I’m entertaining myself, for God’s sake.”
Laura Strange plays rhythm guitar and sings back-up vocals in the band Strange Bedfellows, which also features savory lead guitar from Jack Hanson, funking bass by Jo Jo Fox, and drums from musical arranger Scott Kail. They perform in their pajamas, and guests get a $5 discount if they wear pajamas as well. The palindrome-sporting narrator is Orbrad Darbro.
The whole thing is a brilliant, satirical cartoon, brought to life by funky songs from a band that keeps it in the pocket. It is timely, it is in your face, it dares you to step closer to the edge.
Karen with a K: A Musical Temper Tantrum begins at 3pm on Sat., Aug. 31 at Corralitos Cultural Center, 127 Hames Road, Watsonville. corralitosculturalcenter.org.
Is the narrator sporting or spouting those palindromes?
It might be good from the left point of view, the right never gets a fair shake in this town,