Dirty Stuff
Jonny McGovern
There’s a delicious messiness to Jonny McGovern’s approach to Dirty Stuff, his one-man Fringe offering. Unlike the meticulous characterizations of say Lily Tomlin, McGovern’s characters are rough around the edges and unpredictable; they seem to come and go as they please through him.
You know McGovern already as a regular on The Big Gay Sketch Show on Logo and his titillating “Soccer Practice” video made the rounds on gay bar television screens for a while. The song “Soccer Practice” actually makes a cameo in the show when one character comes out with the help of his inner Gay Pimp.
The denizens who populate Dirty Stuff are the kind of people you don’t mind seeing when you go out to the club, but it’s unlikely you’ll be exchanging phone numbers with them, or even allowing them to friend you on Facebook. In fact, you’ll keep glancing in your rearview mirror to make sure they’re not following you home. But spending an hour with them, in the safety of the Pink Venue, is a delight.
In addition to Jimmy referenced above, there’s a rich gay Saudi Arabian who makes all the partying you’ve done in your life look like a childhood tea party, and a celebrity wannabe who wonders why she’s having a hard time being discovered in a trailer park. Each of the characters is a riot, but my favorite is easily Chocolate Pudding, a forgotten blacksploitation star who still packs a wallop, though the years have not been kind to her. (In truth, I have started doing impressions of Ms. Pudding around the Beer Pasture and at home. McGovern has nothing to worry about, however.)
Lest you think this is simply a showcase for a comedian to do a bunch of zany characters, there is real storytelling at work here. Each of the characters experiences a journey, and their paths nicely intersect. Even so, McGovern’s storytelling is not nice and neat, it’s almost like he is exorcising the story out of himself as he twists and jerks about the stage like a sweaty whirling dervish.
This is a solid vehicle for McGovern’s considerable talent. Simply put, Dirty Stuff is must see Fringe.
To see a full schedule for the 2010 Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival, and purchase tickets, visit OrlandoFringe.org.
