As she enters her fourth decade, she weighs positive and negative aspects of the aging process. She is aided by two music stands labeled ``Good'' and ``Bad,'' with examples printed on placards. Some balance each other off, and others fit into both categories (such as ``Learning More About Men'').
As in her past shows, sex takes a Copernican position in Vogel's universe. Unashamedly, nay, proudly horny, she worries over the creeping loss of her identity as a ``really great piece of ass.'' Few writers or performers can show off as much rude, funky joy in heir sex drives as does Vogel, like when she corrects a friend who calls her a flirt. ``I'm not a flirt,'' she asserts. ``I'm a slut!''
And her eye for hypocrisy remains well-focused. The best example of this is an almost surreal video clip from the Newlywed Game where the husbands crow in response to Bob Eubanks's question as to how many ``fillies'' they'd ``broken in'' before getting married. Vogel follows this up with the question of how the audience would react if it were the wives bragging about ``how many stallions they'd mounted.''
However, certain recurrent flaws are becoming apparent in Vogel's style. Repeating the same word or phrase five or six times in the course of a routine quickly dissipates whatever comic potential the original idea had.
If the structure of the piece is a bit shaggy, its content makes it worth working on and honing in future incarnations. And, as a performer, Vogel has a unique presence -- she pulsates with both an edgy intelligence and an electric air of nihilism, all beneath a deceptively laconic surface. She remains a fiercely funny, often exciting artist of the spoken word. (And you have to see the red-fur bikini dance she does to close the show.)
Box Score:
Writing 1
Directing 1
Acting 2
Set 1
Costumes 2
Lighting/Sound 1
Copyright 1996 John Michael Koroly