The Half Brothers Brand Old-Time Variety Show Performs at the Annex Theatre, 8/9-8/30

By: Aug. 06, 2013
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Neo-bluegrass trio The Half Brothers (Rick Miller, John Ackermann, and David Nixon) step through the black-and-white TV screen into an era of lively music and helpful cooking hints, when corporate sponsorship promised shiny perfection.

Based on the Flatt and Scruggs Martha White Variety Show of the 1950's, The Half Brother's Brand Old-Time Variety Showpays tribute to and makes delicious fun of the folky artificiality of the format. The band plays in front of a simple storefront drop, while Tim Moore lends his mellifluous baritone to friendly announcements of Half Brothers Brand products that could help you more than you know -- or want.

All songs and jingles are written and performed by The Half Brothers, with additional text contributed by Gregory-nominated playwright Keri Healy (Torso). Both keep the tone light and whimsical amid the slowly mounting absurdity of the products being peddled.

No show sponsored by baking products would be complete without a cooking segment or two, and Troy Mink obligingly takes over the kitchen as Grandma Half. Mink mostly improvises his patter as Grandma serves up quickie biscuits and hot cornbread.

Overseeing the operation is director Scotto Moore, the writer/director behind Annex hits Star Crossed, A Mouse Who Knows Me, and Duel of the Linguist Mages.

The Half Brothers Brand Old-Time Variety Show is both a sweet trip down memory lane and a snarky send up of consumer culture. Drink up. It's good for you. The television says so.

Annex Theatre is a democratic collective of theatre artists dedicated to creating bold new work in an environment of improbability, resourcefulness and risk. Annex Theatre produces new plays by living playwrights, radical reinterpretations of classic scripts, and ensemble-generated non-linear spectacles. Now in its Capitol Hill venue, Annex originally opened its doors in 1987 in a former dance studio on 4th Avenue in downtown Seattle. Since then the theater has produced hundreds of world and Northwest premieres.

The Half Brothers Brand Old-Time Variety Show performs August 9-30. Friday - Saturday 11pm. Tickets $5-$10. PWYC Industry Night Monday August 19th 8pm. www.annextheatre.org



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