Being a review of the concert given by Peter Schikele at the Long Centre, Austin, Texas Wednesday, March 3, 2010.
It would have been a kindness had the Long Centre Staff alerted me to the fact that my seating had been re-assigned before I climbed 8 flights of stairs. Being chased by a staffer as I climbed to a darkened lobby was not a positive experience. Austines apparently knew something I didn’t and stayed away in droves making it doubtful there will be another such concert given the bath the Long Centre took on this event. It is sad when a performer contnues touring long past his best-before date. What the audience got last night were intimations of the greatness that has been and a lot of the applause and the standing ovation given by some was more nostalgic than genuine.
As always with PDQ Bach it is difficult to determine what is shtick and what reality. He was wheeled onto stage in hospital garb in a wheelchair. For the rest of the performance he used a cane. Although it may be remarked that most would be thankful to be as active once they reach 75 that age does tell. There were interminable periods when the audience was left staring at a blank stage while the good professor did costume changes. It would be impossible to tell how many of the flubs throughout the evening were intentional or accidental but they did add up. Most damning to a comedian is a loss of timing. Too often the laughs were polite or given with a sense of discomfort. The rapid-fire laugh a minute onslaught is a thing of the past. This performance seemed laboured.
I suppose I should be grateful for having my seat upgraded significantly but some prior notice would have been appreciated. I do wish I’d had the opportunity to see Peter perform 20 years ago.
It would have been a kindness had the Long Centre Staff alerted me to the fact that my seating had been re-assigned before I climbed 8 flights of stairs. Being chased by a staffer as I climbed to a darkened lobby was not a positive experience. Austines apparently knew something I didn’t and stayed away in droves making it doubtful there will be another such concert given the bath the Long Centre took on this event. It is sad when a performer contnues touring long past his best-before date. What the audience got last night were intimations of the greatness that has been and a lot of the applause and the standing ovation given by some was more nostalgic than genuine.
As always with PDQ Bach it is difficult to determine what is shtick and what reality. He was wheeled onto stage in hospital garb in a wheelchair. For the rest of the performance he used a cane. Although it may be remarked that most would be thankful to be as active once they reach 75 that age does tell. There were interminable periods when the audience was left staring at a blank stage while the good professor did costume changes. It would be impossible to tell how many of the flubs throughout the evening were intentional or accidental but they did add up. Most damning to a comedian is a loss of timing. Too often the laughs were polite or given with a sense of discomfort. The rapid-fire laugh a minute onslaught is a thing of the past. This performance seemed laboured.
I suppose I should be grateful for having my seat upgraded significantly but some prior notice would have been appreciated. I do wish I’d had the opportunity to see Peter perform 20 years ago.
