The Pushers, a sketch troupe from Virginia, pride themselves on pushing the foreskin of respectability back to reveal the throbbing head of comedy.
Their sketches skip along at a brisk clip as the performers merrily traipse into taboo territory over and over again: rape, Jesus, racism, gynecology, retards, fat girls, cold-blooded murder, homosexuality. It is all so very wrong. Luckily, it’s also pretty fucking funny.
Longer sketches — like a warped episode of Law and Order, a Star Trek mission to Charleston — are interspersed with quick-cut clips (a pap smear from hell, a brutally honest mom), which work to great effect, keeping the audience from getting bored and the energy from flagging.
My favorite scene of the night was apparently the end of the line for two audience members. As three guys on stage acted out a touching homoerotic moment from the Spartan war flick, 300 (let’s just say it involved some cream and lots of rubbing), a guy could be heard mumbling: “That’s it. It’s gone too far. I’m uncomfortable” as he and his date made for the door.
The Pushers made their debut at last year’s Comedy Fest, selling out their one and only show. This year, they’ve got two shows, so if you haven’t seen them yet, you need to get over there tonight. You won’t be sorry — especially if they start smacking each other in the balls. —Stephanie Barna
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