Sea Monsters and Minnesota

When W00tstock came to Portland I thought "Wow, look at all these great guests! Paul and Storm, Wil Wheaton, Adam Savage, Stepto, Matt Fraction, Molly Lewis..." I was so pleased to live in Portland, where such cool things can happen.

Then they announced the next round of W00tstocks: Chicago and Minneapolis. Guess who was going to be there? Peter Sagal, Bill Corbett and Kevin Murphy. Suddenly I wanted to live in the midwest. Our tech-savvy, sardonic city of cool kids didn't seem so cool anymore. In a big way, the Jococruise helped make up for that, since everyone I missed by not living in the land of the hotdish was on the boat.

Now I wish I lived in Minnesota a second time.

Why? Sexy Librarian, the latest show put on by fellow seamonkey Joseph Scrimshaw and his theater company Joking Envelope, based out of Minneapolis. Everything I find out about this rock musical rife with literary references completely tickles me.

Let me back up a bit: the second night of the cruise, an hour into the mustache formal, we stumbled merrily down to the small theater midship to watch two plays. The first, by Peter Sagal, I'll talk about later (he'll get his own post). The second, by Joseph Scrimshaw and Bill Corbett, was entitled "My Monster."

I loved "My Monster," and not just because of the free-flowing alcohol. It was funny, really funny. And smart. But it also went a little sad at the end, which reminded me a lot of the best Chaplin routines (see the breadrolls dance, performed in a dream where the tramp is imagining himself having friends--most people forget how heartbreaking that scene is). In fact, I even used "Chaplinesque" to describe My Monster in the elevator back up to our cabin, where we happened to ride up with Joco himself. (And yes, using the word Chaplinesque does make you seem like a bit of a tool, but I was tipsy.)

The whole play is captured (blurry unfortunately, but enjoyable to listen to) as a series of YouTube videos posted by Simalot. First one below, but you can find them all in his stream:



Bill Corbett was fantastic, of course, and it was a true joy to watch someone I really adore and respect present something he was proud of. But Joseph Scrimshaw completely stole the show. At one point (it's in the fourth clip in the youtube series) his character, Spike Flambeaux, stormed off-stage to get a "real drink." In the spirit of the whole Jococruise, one of the seamonkeys leaned over and loudly whispered "you're doing great." I kept meaning to say so too, later, but was always too shy and intimidated by his wife, Sara, who seemed much to pretty to be a nerd. (Turns out she's very nice, another of my stereotypes ruined!)

I'm too far away to see Sexy Librarian live, but go check out the first song "What the hell is wrong with me?" If you live within driving distance, go catch the show. It runs all through May.

And maybe, eventually, someone will put it on in Portland.