Long Overdue CT Reviews

After I went to the Cinematic Titanic show in Philadelphia a month or so ago, I promised a review. But then others in the thread posted great, comprehensive reviews, and I didn’t feel much of a need to add anything. Also, work has been crazy.

Then yesterday I saw that over on Deep Ape, Matt has posted a really thoughtful review (he was there on Saturday, I was there on Friday).

This has bucked me up a bit, and given me an excuse to post a few thoughts as well.

• First of all, in all future postings about live shows, we will be sure to tell you if the show is general admission, so you can get there early to get a good seat. I did not know this show was GA, and so I calmly picked up my daughter at about 6:30 and headed out to get a quick dinner, then headed over to the show, arriving at the Troc about a half hour before the show was going to start. What we encountered was a line a full city block long. I went to the front of the line to pick up my tickets, only to learn that, no, I had to go to the back of the line and wait until the line got there to get my tickets. By the time that happened, most of the seats were filled and my daughter and I had to sit in separate seats scattered around the theater. Had I known the show was GA (and it was my fault for not checking; I don’t go to live events much) I would have grabbed some fast food, headed to the venue and eaten while in line. But whatever. I ended up in the balcony in a good seat and my daughter ended up on the ground level in a seat she said was fine. So, in the end, no harm done.
• With me on my trip down from Northeastern Pa. was the one and only “Average Joe” Barlow who enjoyed his first ride in the Sampomobile and managed to keep me awake during the long drive back. Thanks, Joe.
• This is off-topic-ish, but the venue (not a large one, by the way–it officially holds 1,200, but I would guess with the downstairs seating it held 1,000 or less that night) is not at all what I was expecting. It is an ancient, venerable hall, but a bit run down.
• Before the pre-show stuff started, there was a very eclectic mix tape playing. I was later told it was compiled by Josh. Any mix that includes Alan Sherman’s “You Went the Wrong Way, Ol’ King Louie” is okay by me.
• The running gag of the pre-show is “Ten minutes? Ten minutes.” Kind of reminds me of what I call “airline time” — when you hear a flight attendant say “we’ll be on the ground in ten minutes” you can pretty much bet you will still be in the air in 20.
• The antics of Dave “Gruber” Allen were a lot of fun. He is a very funny guy. I too had a chance to hang with him and the always-witty-and-personable Ron DeGroot for a bit after the show and I was genuinely impressed as I watched them both interact with fans. They really LISTENED. I appreciated that.
• I have seen Frank’s “Convoluted Man” bit online previously, but nothing really prepares you for the impact of a live rendition. What a pro.
• I may have said this before, and if I did I apologize, but I just have to say how impressive Josh is as a performer. I mean, I already KNOW how great Joel, Trace, Frank and Mary Jo are. I’m no longer surprised by how amazingly talented they are. But my experience with Josh is much more limited, and it’s a real delight to discover that he holds his own, and then some, in this very talented group.
• Joel came out just before the show began to a long and warm reception. Everybody else was pretty casually dressed, but Joel was lookin’ sharp in a well-tailored suit and closely cropped hair. He answered some questions from the audience, and was never at a loss for a funny answer.
• At last the riffing began and soon the place was roaring with laughter. It’s always more fun to see any riff with a big group. The laughter is contagious. I ended the evening with a bad case of “laugh stomach.”
• The movie, “Alien Factor” had that shot-on-a-shoestring-with-your-friends-as-the-cast, Roger Corman-meets-the-local-community-drama-group feel. The acting (non-existent), the sets (clearly just people’s private homes), the TERRIBLE special effects (the cheapest of cheap process shots) and the interminable walking sequences were all fodder for riffs.
• You could tell the riffing script was very fresh. The Titans were laughing at a lot of the jokes. Mary Jo lost it completely at one point.
• At the end of the movie, there was a long standing ovation, and I used the opportunity to head for the stairs and get down to the lower level. It wasn’t until I got there that I realized that they were doing an “encore” of sorts: essentially performing a live version of a “best of” compilation of snippets from their various trailers.
• After a few minutes, a table appeared in the lobby and after a few minutes more, the Titans sat down and began signing for and greeting the LONG line of people. Rather than sit at the table, Trace stood and welcomed each new line member and posed for a zillion photos. I’m always impressed at how happy they all seem to be to meet each fan.
• Rather than wait in the line, I wandered about taking photos. I had a nice talk with Gruber and RAD. Gruber give updates on the careers of the Higgins Boys (they’re doing quite well, thank you very much) and told the story of how the Higgins Boys & Gruber got picked up by the late, lamented Comedy Channel (bring back “Onion World”!)–Joel had a hand in making it happen.
• The staff at the venue were visibly unhappy at being kept at work to allow the signing/greeting and were very anxious to scoot people out. But the Titans took their time with everybody.
• My conclusion: If you are a regular visitor to this site, you are the sort of person who would LOVE this show. The entertainment value is definitely worth the price (though try to avoid those service fees if you can; I heard some horror stories while I was waiting in line). You will go away a happy MSTie.