Wiggers' spring show centers on anniversary of Columbus

Here she comes, Myth America! Paying tribute to Christopher Columbus 500 years after he "discovered" America, Mask and Wig's 104th production is titled "Myth America: The Lies and Times of Christopher Columbus." Unlike their traditional format consisting of numerous musical skits, Mask and Wig's newest production is a musical with a single plot. The show addresses the recent debate over the "political correctness" of honoring Columbus, who is said to have enslaved and stolen from the natives he encountered in the New World. College senior Al Bingham, the group's undergraduate chairman, and College junior Christian Fletcher co-wrote the show during the summer and fall. Fletcher said that the production addresses the female point of view, which he says is often left out of history texts. Mask and Wig, an all-male comedy group, is particularly noted for their impersonations of women. The lead "female" represents the "PC" critique of Columbus's historical worthiness, while the narrator expresses the point of view of a male chauvinist. "Columbus's last song is an attempt to reach middle ground between extreme PC and white-male egoism," Fletcher said. Since Mask and Wig's spring show is for Philadelphia residents as well as the University community, there are no "inside" campus jokes in the play. "We want the shows to be something everyone can enjoy," Bingham said. The play was modified by the production's cast and professional Stage Director Charles Seymour, Choreographer Kathy Garrinella, and Musical Director Gene Bender. Seymour, a 1975 Wharton alumnus, said that it was "very challenging" to bring together the ideas of 15 different people, and emphasized that "everything is original." "Everything has a purpose," Seymour said. And, in traditional Wig style, even ballads and romantic songs have a twist. Seymour also added that this show has the best sets and music that Mask and Wig has had in a long time. Special additions to the traditional tap number in the second act is a mime and a burlesque-style "Can-Can" line. The show opens Friday, January 24 and runs Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through March 28, with shows both at the clubhouse at 310 Quince Street and at the Annenberg School Theater. Dinner shows are $46 and feature a five-course meal. Non-dinner shows are $18 and $16. Shows at the clubhouse are followed by cocktails and a floor show with the cast singing traditional Mask and Wig favorites.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.