Last Month Around the Corner from the Zoo ~ An Evening with Kathy Griffin

What can I say except that Kathy Griffin, fresh from the season finale of 'My Life on the D List', is that she rocked it like a rock star at Sunday night (a month ago) at Starlight Theatre.  For an hour and a half she worked the darken stage in her usually black ensemble of pants and shirt while her performance sparkled like a Swarovski crystal.  I have seen her comedy specials on Bravo (the same channel that shows 'D List' so my expectation were set rather high for the humor but she far exceeded it.  Oh, and she also has a book 'Official Book Club Selection: a Memoir According to Kathy Griffin' dropping on which came out on September 8^th.

Of course the audience was full of "her gays," lesbians, and other female fans, as well as the stray heterosexual male who I think enjoyed the show as much as everyone else.  The thing I have to admire about Griffin, especially in comparison to other well-known comedians who blow into town like Bill Maher who came to Kansas City in mid-April, Griffin's material was fresh.  She talked about her appearance at the Teen Choice Awards (in my opinion the lamest excuse for an awards show ever, but then again I'm not a teen) apparently she and I are of the same mind because she cracked a few jokes about the award being in the form of a surfboard.  She had several jokes about Levi Johnston who was her "date" to that particular show which took place only about two weeks before her performance (that's how fresh her material was).  She had some gossip about Sarah Palin and told us to watch out for Mr. Johnston interview with 'Vanity Fair' which is scheduled to come out in next month's issue.  Actually I read the article and it wasn't that shocking.

Anyone who has a taste for pop culture recognizes what a talent Griffin has in that she presents as if she is just like her audience.  I don't know exactly if her behind the scenes persona matches her public personality, but she comes off as very honest in her appraisal of the celebrities, American society, and herself.  She recognizes that her Bravo show has propelled her to a whole new level as a performer.  Whereas in her sitcom shitcom 'Suddenly Susan' she was the comedic sidekick to Brooke Shields, now Shields would be lucky to be cast besides Griffin.  Yes, the times have changed.  I think the Griffin that Kansas City saw was a woman who no longer has to feel she has to prove herself to the entertainment industry.  Sure, she isn't necessarily A list, but many of those that are considered A list aren't really A list if you know what I mean (when was the last time Nicole Kidman was in a movie that made any money?).

Although at times Griffin can come across as a bit ADHD, she pulls it all together in the end (well, except for the Paris Hilton story she promised, but she is forgiven because a few times, especially near the end, she had a lot of unfinished stories juggling in the air).  I'm sure she will be breezing back this way next summer and I highly recommend buying a ticket and enjoying a show which even if it is half as great as last month's show, will be worth the price of the ticket.

Westerfield © 2009