Randy Rainbow -Courtesy of Cindy Phillips. Used with permission.
Right up front, I wish to answer two very important questions regarding Randy Rainbow, who appeared Thursday night at The Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel as part of his “Pink Glasses Tour.” Did the humor of the political satirist, who said during his show “Hey Weird Al Yankovic, there’s a new parody queen in town,” translate to live performance? The answer is a resounding “Yes!” And what about the audience demographics? Was it primarily LGBTQ+? And my reply is an uncategorical “Absolutely not!”
Parody queen, indeed. Unless one has been living under a rock, one could not escape the barrage of attention Rainbow (yes, that is his real name, as he revealed in the show) attracted especially during the four years that Trump was in office. And the fact is, if you are a Trump supporter, you are probably a Rainbow hater and if you abhor the former commander in chief, you probably loved how the comedian incessantly skewered him, his family and cronies throughout The Orange One’s tenure.
The moment Rainbow stepped foot on stage wearing a sequined-covered suit, and sporting a wrap made from yards of pink tulle, the audience knew it was in for a high-energy, camp fest. Backed by a four-piece band, Rainbow’s charisma, showcased in the YouTube star’s viral videos for the last decade, was clearly evident, not to mention transferable from his onscreen work, from the start. Possessing a voice that is common to Broadway performers, he displayed not only a powerhouse voice, but also a range that is enviable.
During his 90-minute show, sans intermission, Rainbow, who is Jewish, relayed his life story. Born in Huntington, New York, he grew in nearby Commack, where he said he was bullied, abuse that continued in Plantation, Florida, where his father, a musician and talent booker, later moved the family. Deciding to move to Manhattan, where he once worked for a Broadway accountant, Rainbow said he dreamed of being a performer. Determined to create opportunities for himself, he started making videos in 2010 in his kitchen, in which he staged fake phone conversations with famous people by editing real audio clips of those celebrities. He posted his breakout video, “Randy Rainbow is dating Mel Gibson,” which garnered 60,000 views, after which he started to gain some fame. It wasn’t until the 2016 election of Trump, however, that made Rainbow a social-media superstar.
A highlight of Rainbow’s show was his ingeniously produced YouTube videos themselves, which were projected on a screen above the Palladium stage as Rainbow impressively synced his own singing, accompanied by the band, to his video performances. Actually, it was quite captivating the way he maintained the show’s rapid pace while doing multiple costume changes, as he sang all the Broadway songs, which he parodied through his brilliant lyrics.
Randy Rainbow -Courtesy of Cindy Phillips. Used with permission.
When I mentioned that demographics of the diverse, 850-person audience, clearly all adoring fans, I observed a majority of them appeared to be baby boomers, but my gaydar tracked scores of members of the LGBTQ+ community as well. Not seeing anyone walking out, I can only presume all those present were not Trump supporters. I couldn’t help think had any attended, their heads would surely have exploded, such is the biting, unrelenting, mocking and deadly aim that Rainbow’s humor takes when it comes to satirizing political immorality, hypocrisy and corruption.
During his introductory comments, Rainbow jokingly took credit for helping us get through not only the Trump years, but also, now COVID-19. Acknowledging that with Trump gone, his career might suffer, he nevertheless predicted that as long as there are sleazy politicians, he will always have material. For those, like yours truly who are political junkies, Rainbow represents someone who is actually a serious political and social commentator with his finger on the pulse of the public, who uses his humor as a watchdog. In the best tradition of revolutionary comics Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor, virtuoso Rainbow, holds up the proverbial mirror to society and makes us all informed and enlightened recipients of his comedic largesse.
For tickets and information about upcoming 2021-22 season at the Center for the Performing Arts, go to thecenterpresents.org.
