Meg Pee - Close to You

Join Meg Pee in her journey to discover that you can't change the soundtrack you’re given in life – a life riddled with chops, a clapping father, perpetually vacuuming mother, Kevin Arnold, parachute pants and more chops from Nanna. Pee wears them well in her amusing, dark, uplifting and bizarre character-based ode to Karen Carpenter.

A delightful romp delving into dysfunction, after an hour with Meg Pee you’ll wonder how she turned out as normal as she has.

Deft portrayals of her perpetually-vacuuming mother (who constantly listened to 70s chanteuse Karen Carpenter of The Carpenters, hence the show’s title), and a nightdress-wearing father showcase Meg Pee’s talents as an imitator. Her reenaction of her conception had the crowd in stitches. But by far, the best impression is that of her nana, who periodically appears throughout the show (the phonecalls from Heaven are particularly hilarious).

Meg Pee’s persona throughout the show is that of a 10-year-old girl raised by an odd family, which she intersects with how she feels like she’s Kevin Arnold from The Wonder Years, combined with a 60 Minutes special. The entire show is done with a variety of props – the aforementioned vacuum and nightdress, combined with the usage of plastic meat, several pairs of glasses, a fake beard, and a pair of pants that somehow transforms into a character named Carol from Salt Lake City. It’s not just props – the periodic use of photos, line drawings, and videos (the remake of the opening sequence to The Wonder Years is particularly funny) give this standup more of a variety show feel. Mad props (and chops) to the tech person for flawlessly executing so many lighting cues.

We only wish her drummer – and real-life partner – Dan could have been a larger part of the show, since her calm presence sometimes detracts from Meg Pee’s vivacity. Her use of drums and other noise-making apparatuses is deftly done, and complements Meg’s electric ukulele. If the standup thing doesn’t work out, we suggest she look into a career as a singer.

Although you won’t get an ab workout from constantly laughing, this is one heckuva show. The comedy ranges from subtle to the outright bizarre (and punny). Multimedia, live music, costumes – it’s all here, and it all combines into one jam-packed hour that may very well leave you echoing one of the audience members: “That was awesome.”

Meg Pee on Close to You