In Long Story Short, written and performed by Colin Quinn and directed by Jerry Seinfeld, I was initially put off by Quinn's tone - he seemed brash, crude, vulgar and charmless. I soon ignored that and went with the clever material.
He gives us a skewed History of The World in 75 minutes. As he goes through history and philosophy all over the globe, he does make funny references and comparisons, plus some smart, original associations that find the incongruities of good. observational comedy. The intellectual content is interesting as we go from Greece to Rome to China to the Middle Ease, to Africa where he gives good impressions of national stereotypes, and finally to some really good jokes about America. However, the show is not often funny. We get used to his working-class tone, much of it on the same level, but the pace is rapid-fire, and words are missed. The very interesting set and projection designs by David Gallo are beautifully done and give a real theatricality to the show; lighting by Howell Binkley enhances everything.
Although I was intellectually engaged by the ideas in the show, which are creative and occasionally profound, I was not emotionally engaged by Quinn because it is hard for me to identify with his persona. For me, the writing is better than the performance, and I'd love to see another comedian, someone with warmth and charm, do this same first-rate material. But since Quinn is the only one doing it this week, you might as well go see him.
