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"Esther's gang sure to bring laughs."

The Austin American-Statesman, February14, 1996
By Hector Saldana

There is only one thing predictable about Esther's Follies, an 18-year Austin institution: It's rip-roaringly funny. Their new show is no exception.

It is wickedly fast-paced. One moment there's a vampy '50s parody; the next, Mick Jagger (actor Joel McKean) is strutting his stuff in diapers, all in the context of an old movie-house matinee with only piano accompaniment. With this hilarious bunch, it's all you need.

Sure, some of the bits are long-running favorites, but the cast keeps things topical and fresh. Presidential candidate Sen. Phil Gramm, still licking his wounds from his defeat in Louisiana, was lampooned in hilarious fashion. "Internet Blues" (about cybersex) and "Carmen: (Selena meets Carmen Miranda) are two more of the new routines.

The musical cast keeps its fingers firmly on the pulse of current events. The revue took to task the Senate Wacko hearings with apologies to Kay Bailey Hutchison, Louis Farrakhan, Bob Packwood and Henry Cisneros. And if you ever have wondered where old songs go to die, these multitalented comedians recycle the hits of the '40s, '50s and '60s, breathing new life into the most unlikely of choices for devilish good fit: "California Dreaming: becomes an affirmative-action lament; "Chapel of Love" is transformed (for the better) to "Drugstore of Love," a safe-sex paean; and Shannon Sedwick as Hillary Clinton sings "Witch Hunt" over the finger-snapping melody of "Witchcraft."

Part of the fun of attending Esther's Follies are the audience-participation bits, plus the little vignettes you catch through the window behind the stage. This night, a Michael Jackson lookalike passed with two young companions.

Funny is funny in the wonderful world of Esther's Follies. Sedwick's Patsy Cline schtick is pure vaudeville as she pulls everything imaginable from under her hoop skirt, up through her low-cut top, while never missing a warbling note.

Then there's the magic. Special guest Ray Anderson not only amazes with feats of levitation but is quick-witted: "Got that little J.C. Penney 'Fall Collection' thing going," he commented sarcastically to one of his audience participants.

Vaudeville has gone the way of the dinosaur, but the spunky cast of the beloved satirical musical revue proves chutzpah is alive and well Thursday through Saturday on Sixth Street.

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