REVIEW
An Evening with Martin Short
Where: University Centre, Farquhar Auditorium
When: Thursday night
Rating: 4 1/2 stars (out of five)
Surely, no one on Second City Television was more prodigiously gifted than Martin Short.
And that’s saying a lot, since the legendary sketch-comedy show was host to a cornucopia of talent, such as Eugene Levy, John Candy and Catherine O’Hara. Short’s humour was typically the most whimsical — and often the most bizarre — of the bunch. Where on Earth (or outer space) does a twisted character like uber-nerd Ed Grimley come from? Or show-biz mutant Jackie Rogers Jr.?
Short visited UVic Thursday night to perform An Evening With Martin Short — or, as he calls it, the “party with Marty.” Essentially a one-man show, he reprised some of his best known characters, showing videos between costume changes.
Short is in his mid-60s now. It’s not necessarily retirement time by show-biz standards — after all, the still-touring Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are both 70 now. Still, the question remains: When a famous performer reaches a certain age, can he (or she) still do it?
The answer in this case is: Yes, he can.
A snappily-suited Short, accompanied by a pianist, commenced with a stand-up routine. He joked about the Victoria mayor’s physical prowess, he laughed about his own brightly coloured socks. And he said his live show was inspired by the Christmas parties he throws for friends and family.
“Charlie Sheen comes to the basement and teaches the children to freebase myrrh,” Short deadpanned.
He invited three men from the audience for the Three Amigos routine. Short seemed dismayed by the attire of one, wearing a plaid shirt. “First of all you’re dressed beautifully for the theatre, what would you wear if you were going bowling?”
Then he trained them to do the Three Amigos salute. Again, he feigned disappointment: “You’ve heard this before, you’ll hear it again, your thrust was late.”
Donning a platinum wig, Short became Jackie Robinson Jr., the English-accented ponce still living in the year 1966. Then he was a chin-waggling Katharine Hepburn who starts the morning with “a huge bowl of bran.” This was followed by Short’s impression of Richard Burton and Liz Taylor. Short’s spot-on Welsh accent was accompanied by his trademark show-biz smirk — a knowing grin that lets us all into the joke.
One of the most popular bits was his Ed Grimley, who Short explained had been living in a home for “characters who were popular in the 80s home.” Grimley, pants pulled up to his nipples, went into the audience to hug a woman. “It’s such a joy to be here in the Farquhar Auditorium,” Short-as-Grimley said, adding that his head went “completely nuts with mental excitement” when he thought about all the acts that had played there.
Somehow, Short was able to transform into the triple-chinned Jiminy Glick in a scant minute. The show-biz secrets he revealed included: “Elton John … gay.” Then he invited radio personality Ed Bain up to be his guest. “Whatever cosmetic surgery you’ve had, I’d say 20 per cent more, then I’d stop,” he advised Bain.
Short capped the evening with a couple of well-sung songs and a funny anecdote about meeting Frank Sinatra. The audience, who had obviously loved the show, rewarded him with two standing ovations.
