(Guys! You get a rare treat! My husband wrote an entry!! I couldn’t make it out to this fantastic event, so he went on his own to make sure it was covered. And so that it counted for an Achievement, we found an ad for it in the CityPaper. Without further ado, here is Michael’s post!)
This particular achievement is unusual for a number of reasons. First, we normally do every achievement as a duo, but because Jenn had to work, I found myself out by my lonesome. Second, unlike most of our achievements, we were actually invited to do this one!
The wonderful theater group, Bricolage, was having a special “bloggers event” to publicize their latest edition of Midnight Radio: Cowboys and Aliens. And they invited us to participate!
Yes, it’s a brave new world here at 101 Achievements. A world of comp tickets, of names on lists…though, to be honest, Cowboys and Aliens had been on our radar even before our invite, and we likely would have ended up buying tickets to see it regardless.
If you are unaware of Bricolage’s Midnight Radio series, you can read the summary from our last visit here. They perform live radio shows in front of a studio audience, complete with all the sound effects and fake commercials your heart desires, right before your very eyes!
This evening’s performance was somewhat different from the War of the Worlds show we saw last season. Where WOTW had a single story, interspersed with mock commercials and soforth, Cowboys and Aliens was more a collection of individual skits involving either cowboys or aliens. There was an alien soap opera, a hilarious ad for some old-timey cowboy dentistry, and my inner 11-year-old would be remiss if I did not mention the “Mad-Lib Radio Minute”. I’d describe it in more detail, but your experience will differ from mine. (As you can see, each night the audience picks all the words in the lobby beforehand.)
Another highlight of the evening was the two great acoustic performances by the band Slim Cessna. I’d never heard them before, but I’d sure like to get more of their music now.
I laughed the whole way through the show’s roughly-80-minute runtime. If I had to pick a favorite moment of the night, though, it would come from the Fox News-style newsbreak part way through, which featured an effeminate sportscaster explaining exactly how the Pittsburgh Pirates have come into their recent success. (Hint: it did not involve their bodies being taken over by cowboys.)
There are only two more performances of Cowboys and Aliens, on 7/29 and 7/30 — without a doubt, I rate it a must-see!