To begin with, let us make perfectly clear that The Book of Moron is not a parody of The Book of Mormon. Currently running at the Playhouse at Westport Plaza through New Year’s Day, and performed by its creator Robert Dubac, the subtitle is If Thinking Were Easy Everyone Would Do It.
Moron is a one-man show that runs about 90 minutes. It’s certainly scripted, but I was reminded of the sort of standup comedy that began in the Sixties, Mort Sahl mixed with Lenny Bruce, with some pre-sitcom Bob Newhart thrown in. If that rings no bells with you, think about the opening monologue from one of the more edgy late-night hosts. (I’m looking at you, Steven Colbert.)
There’s a loose story line as Dubac portrays the various voices we all hear inside our heads, but mostly this is a series of observations on life and, to a lesser degree, current events. He’s very funny, funny enough that the audience didn’t take much, if any, time to warm up. The humor is particularly notable in that some of it is simple, either in verbal or physical terms, and other parts of it are relatively intellectual – jokes about four-syllable words, anyone? Adult language flies by occasionally.
2016 has certainly been a year when we all need a good laugh. Here’s a chance for an hour and a half of them, and surprisingly worthwhile. Move quickly – this closes New Years Day, but there are two shows on New Years Eve.
The Book of Moron
Playhouse at Westport Plaza
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