One of the joys of the Capital Fringe Festival is the free-wheeling atmosphere in which some shows take place. From where I’m sitting, Let’s Take This Offline is classic Fringe fare, with a company of young, dedicated comedians riffing on the bizarro world we’ve been forced to inhabit during the pandemic — the world of our phones and laptops.
As platforms and social networks have piled up, each with its own quirks and tell-tale issues, and as we have all taken turns making absolute jackasses of ourselves online, comedians have found all they have to do for a laugh is to read all our silliness and braggadocio word-for-word onstage.
In the words of the immortal Dave Barry, “I am not making this up.”
Catherine Wigginton Greene has teamed up with Colleen Laughlin to create a rapid-fire, torn-from-the-screen series of vignettes and posts, each grouped around a specific social network — many so recently harvested that the cast holds the printouts in their hot little hands to recite. The premise is simple enough: what if we treated these texts and memes as if they were a real, person-to-person conversation? The results are by turns appallingly telling, and howl-out-loud hilarious.
The packed house I sat with rolled with it, nearly every post-cum-monologue got a good laugh and no small round of applause. Personal highlights included a takedown of the nitwits on TripAdvisor, the incredibly self-serving (and incredibly long) anniversary and graduation notices on Facebook, and a faux warning about the (allegedly) devastating gastric impact of eating sugar-free gummy bears, which was so sustained and so consistently sidesplitting my ribs ache just thinking about it.
There are only two more chances to catch this up-to-the minute revue. Well worth the fuss of parking in Georgetown, I assure you.
Running Time: 60 minutes without intermission.
Let’s Take This Offline has two more performances, on July 23 and 24, 2022, at 3 Stars – Formerly DSW Georgetown, 3270 M St. NW, Washington, DC. To see the performance schedule and purchase tickets ($15), go online.
COVID Safety: The audience is to remain masked for the show. The mask needs to cover your mouth and nose the whole time. Proof of vaccination and ID are checked before entry.
Genre: Comedy
Age appropriateness: Appropriate for Adults Only
