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I'm told that Katie’s Corner (currently running at the Celebration Theatre in West Hollywood) was partially inspired by footage of Katherine Hepburn preparing to do an interview on "The Dick Cavett Show." In the actual 2 minute clip which I have seen, Miss Hepburn had the carpet critiqued, the tables changed and stage hands scurrying in a way you would never expect to see teamsters scurry. Hepburn even offered to lend her own capable hands to the tasks she herself was setting out. The essence of the great Katherine Hepburn’s qualities in that clip: unflinching candor, humor, poise and a willingness to simply “get to it,” all live within Alexandra Billings and her character-creation of Katie.
Katie’s Corner is nothing short of miraculous, and Alexandra Billings is engaging, outrageous, spontaneous, hilarious and sincere all at the same time; every second of the time she is onstage, which is the entire length of this insanely brilliant spectacle of a show. And here’s the kicker: it’s all improvised. Not only does the audience never quite know what is coming next, neither does the cast (and frankly, neither does Billings.) The show is full of incredibly improvised comedic acrobatics that defy the very laws of nature.
The indefatigable Katie that we see has won four Academy Awards. And she won’t hesitate to remind her audience of that at the drop of a hat, or a name, or a movie title, or anything else she might happen to drop. That is just who Katie is.
Katie has 2 regular cohorts onstage: her able bodied assistant Heather (who is referred to as Shaniqua) and her director, the delightfully affable Sean Abley. Katie’s special guests on stage vary from evening to evening, which gives the night a talk show vibe as “celebrities” are introduced and talk about and do whatever they have to talk about or do.
The evening I attended included Amy Seeley, who led us through an oddly unfocused and rambling “lesson” in how to win (and how to lose?) a beauty pageant. However, the good natured Samoan man who was plucked from the audience and then wrestled into an emerald green prom dress with red strappy CFMP’s, was funny enough to save the segment. Although, Billings’ reaction to that hapless audience members’ admission to having size 17 feet would have been enough to end the bit right then and there.
A particular treat on the night I attended was the appearance of Debra Wilson (best known for 8 seasons on "Mad TV"). Miss Wilson brought Didgeridoos and proceeded to enthrall the audience with something that was entertaining, informative, and more spiritual than I would have thought possible given the setting. For those of you reading this, I’m sure it’s hard to imagine how this show went from a Samoan man in a prom dress to a beloved comic actress sitting on the floor extolling the virtues of (and playing) an aboriginal instrument made out of eucalyptus. It was, in fact, seamless and enchanting. In that short segment I found myself admiring Debra Wilson more than I already did. And of course, at the end of the segment, Katie herself played a Didgeridoo made of PVC. I’ll let you imagine how that went.
The final guest of the evening was the screamingly hysterical Frieda Laye (actor Danny Casillas) of Chico’s Angels fame. I’m sure he was there to plug the new Chico’s Angels show that’s coming soon. But suddenly there was an arts & crafts segment about greeting cards. And then there was roll of duct tape that somehow ended up wrapped around the entire theatre and the audience. I’m still not quite sure what actually happened or what the punch line was because I laughed so hard I hurt my spleen.
On the technical side, because the show is done only once a week, it is performed on on another show's set. As a result, the lighting was a little dark for a comedic performance. Also, there were some (I’m guessing) unrehearsed audio cues that felt unnecessary. Cheers, jeers and the like might have been better left to the imagination. I had the same thought about music cues that seemed to have been introduced for the first time. The magic of the show comes from Katie’s head. The introduction of produced audio cues takes us out of the unstructured reality that Katie creates and puts us in some other place. Improvisation relies on trust. If you trust the reality as it is created there is no need for additional layers, bells or whistles (or piñatas filled with bizarre, albeit hysterical prizes).
Finally, it isn’t easy for any actor to be in the moment at all moments or to work without a net. This show relies on its star to do both. Katie’s Corner is lightening in a jar, and Alexandra Billings is possessed of a brilliance that radiates from some higher plane. Run to see this show. Often.
Katie’s Corner: Presented by Celebration Theatre and Dark Blue Theatricals. Starring Alexandra Billings, Heather Hopkins and Sean Abley. Directed by Sean Abley
for venues, dates and times http://www.facebook.com/pages/Katies-Corner/158940994122461
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