Friday, November 18, 2016

Laughing Stock: Laugh at the Patriarchy

Posted By on Fri, Nov 18, 2016 at 9:00 AM


“I don't want to be disrespectful,” said Alisha Ratan recently in a Phoenix New Times interview, “but a lot of misogynistic humor gets a free pass. I think we felt more and more like, 'I feel less safe as a woman onstage, and in the audience.'"

In response, Ratan and a colleague, Meredith D. Howell, formed an improv team, Overtly Sensitive. The name refers to a phrase women would like you to stop saying when they make their feelings known. The duo pokes fun at “the patriarchy,” at the pitfalls and life hacks of millennial females and, in a recent show, at stress-relieving meditation, coaxing their audience into centering the heart chakra on the mattress of the body’s core.

Affiliated with the Torch Theatre in Phoenix, Overtly Sensitive will perform on Tuesday, Nov. 22, in Comedy at the Wench, a monthly comedy showcase at Surly Wench Pub. The show starts at 9 p.m.
Also on the bill is Tucson favorite Steven Yanez Romo, host of the popular local talk show Romo Tonight Live. His concoction of chaos, hilarity and special guests was broadcast monthly from the Flycatcher until Romo recently moved to Bisbee. Fans will want to catch what may become a rare stand-up appearance in the Old Pueblo.

Writer and storyteller Em Bowen, salty army vet Stephanie Lyonga and Californian James Quinn round out the bill.

Tucson comics Roxy Merrari and Mo Urban host and perform in the showcase every fourth Tuesday, and an open mic every second Tuesday, at The Surly Wench Pub Bar and Grill at 424 N 4th Ave. Admission is free; a donation is requested. Artist information is available online.