by Steve Desroches
Ever since the evening of November 8, 2016, when Agent Orange became the President of the United States, there’s been a palpable sense of anxiety, dread, and tension. If the current state of our political affairs were a screenplay, movie studios would reject it for being ludicrously over-the-top and unbelievable. But indeed, the surreal, depressing situation we Americans find ourselves in is real, with our status as the leader of the free world slipping away and the vacuum being filled by leaders like Emmanuel Macron, Justin Trudeau, and Angela Merkel. As comedian Judy Gold says in her new show, “You know things a really f**ked up when, as a Jew I’m thinking it might be better to move to Germany.”
As Steve Allen once said, “Tragedy plus time equals comedy.” But what if you don’t feel like waiting? Then Judy Gold is for you. In her new show at the Sage Inn this summer Gold stomps through the minefield of emotions and taboos that has become the American landscape. She skips through topic after topic like an angry clown popping every child’s balloon at a gluten-free birthday party, where everyone is bragging about how their new rescue dog really rescued them and that they don’t own a television. If you find yourself a stranger in a strange land that is your own land, as you chomp on a baguette binge-watching The Real Housewives of wherever taking a bong hit, then Judy Gold is your spirit animal.
“You know things a really f**ked up when, as a Jew I’m thinking it might be better to move to Germany.”
Comedy is perhaps never more important than it is in troubling times, as a salve for what ails us, to take the air out of what stifles conversation, and to act as a societal mirror. Gold is an accomplished stand-up comedian and comic writer, as well as a Provincetown favorite. She is a master at commanding an audience from beginning to end, never dropping the energy for one minute and never not landing her comedic mark. She is relentless when it comes to producing laughs. The two-time Emmy Award winner has made memorable appearances on Ugly Betty, 30 Rock, Broad City, Louie, and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, bringing her brand of comedy to a television audience. But seeing Gold live is such a treat as she glides with the ease of an Olympic speed skater from joke to joke with her unique comedy viewpoint, which is rooted in the legacy of the Borscht Belt with a New York City sensibility and put through a lesbian blender. It’s a long time until the mid-term elections when we have a chance to put some sort of sanity back into Washington. Gold is just the ticket to get us through.
Judy Gold presents Kill Me Now various dates through September 3 at 7 p.m. at the Pilgrim House Showroom at the Sage Inn, 336 Commercial St., Provincetown. Tickets ($30 general/ $40 VIP) are available at the box office and online at sageinnptown.com. For more information call 508.487.6424.
