Access Atlanta > The Newcomer > Archives > 2008 > September > 19 > Entry
Ready to laugh at yourself, Atlanta?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Second City players Amy Roeder, from left, Tim Stoltenberg, Michael Lehrer and Anthony Irons, rehearse a scene from the upcoming comedy revue, “Too Busy to Hate…Too Hard to Commute.” The revue opens in Atlanta tonight.
The Second City comes to the our city tonight to debut its Atlanta revue, “Too Busy to Hate … Too Hard to Commute.”
AJC’er Drew Jubera wrote in Sunday’s story that the show came into being after two writers from Chicago came on a three-day Atlanta zeitgeist binge. The writers’ list of stops: the Varsity, Lenox Square, Phipps Plaza and the Clermont Lounge, among others. (This list seems to come straight from Newcomer readers’ Places To Go, Things To See file.)
“Traffic, race and the influx of transplants became repeating themes for the writers,” Jubera wrote. “They stopped to talk with locals, finding them willing to open up on almost any topic. More often than not, after extolling Atlanta’s virtues, a local would then add something like, ‘But I just moved here from Baltimore.’”
Perhaps because it sounds like an echo of this blog, but I wonder what else they picked up on. I imagine a localized, improvised, on-stage “Daily Show,” the kind of stuff you’re only allowed to laugh at if you live here, maybe because it’s only funny if you live here?
We seem to see-saw every day between deep, defensive love for this place and extreme self-hate. Could this be our few hours to lighten up a little? Are we even capable of laughing at ourselves here?
I think Tim Stoltenberg, improv director at Dad’s Garage really got it when he made this point: “By laughing at ourselves we can identify what makes us special.”
Tell me in the comments why you’re going to see it. Better yet, tell me on Monday if it’s any good!
Comments
By Critic
September 19, 2008 8:18 AM | Link to this
This looks and sounds like it is a real hoot! Can’t wait to see it.
By MARCEL MARCEAU
September 19, 2008 10:34 AM | Link to this
,.,”“,.?,,.!!!
By John McSame
September 19, 2008 11:31 AM | Link to this
**I’m a little confused. Let me see if I have this straight….
If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you’re ‘exotic, different.’
Grow up in Alaska eating moose burgers,— a quintessential American story.
If your name is Barack you’re a radical, unpatriotic Muslim. — Name your own kids Willow, Trig and Track, you’re a maverick.
Graduate from Harvard law School and you are unstable.
Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you’re well grounded.
If you spend 3 years as a brilliant community organizer,
become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate’s Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran’s Affairs committees, you don’t have any real leadership experience.
If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you’re qualified to become the country’s second highest ranking executive.
If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2 beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you’re not a real Christian.
If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and
left your disfigured wife and married heiress Cindy the next month, you’re a Christian.
If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.
If, while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state’s school system while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant, you’re very responsible.
If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family’s values don’t represent America’s.
If your husband is nicknamed ‘First Dude’, with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn’t register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.
OK, it’s much clearer now.**
By Crazy
September 19, 2008 1:06 PM | Link to this
McSame, you’re an idiot. Please pay attention to the topic before posting.