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CO-ED PRISON SLUTS. By Mick Napier et al. Directed by Mick Napier. The Annoyance Theatre, Chicago. 9 January 2009.
Mick Napier wanted to see a clown fight a drag queen. That's it. He had no music, no script, and a cast with a grand total of two shows under its collective belt, the second of which was a critical and commercial disaster. His theatre wasn't even sure of its name yet and on the verge of collapse. The surprising result: the longest running musical in the history of Chicago. For a generation of comics and improvisers, Co-Ed Prison Sluts redefined what could be done onstage. The distinct brand of anarchic satirical comedy heavily influenced Chicago improvisation and consequently contemporary American comedy. From April 1988 through June 2000, The Annoyance Theatre's Co-Ed Prison Sluts played every weekend to packed houses that became addicted to the company's subversive themes, filthy language, and catchy songs.
In celebration of their twentieth anniversary, The Annoyance Theatre remounted Co-Ed Prison Sluts as part of its 2008-09 season. The musical skips merrily and incongruously through the worlds of sexual abuse, bestiality, incest, necrophilia, and more. A precursor to brash and edgy comedy like South Park, Urinetown, and Avenue Q, Co-Ed Prison Sluts presented a brand of humor unfamiliar to mainstream audiences. While the show undoubtedly doesn't shock our jaded sensibilities today quite like it did twenty years ago, it is still as fun and naughty as ever. From the musical's Brechtian songs to the raw language and outright offensiveness, Co-Ed Prison Sluts is a prime example of the power of improvisational theatre and catapulted The Annoyance Theatre to prominence.
The...