9/20 Charlotte: Charlotte Squawks

Ghazale Johnston
Jul 27, 2017 · 5 min read

Andy and I have a shared love for political satire. We started watching The Daily Show back when Jon Stewart’s self-deprecating jokes about being an irrelevant cable TV comedy show were not ironic. And, when we spotted Rob Corddry in Madrid back in 2002, we treated the encounter as if we just met Tom Cruise. With all due respect to Mr. Corddry, I am not sure how many people would have recognized him 15 years ago in a foreign country so that should tell you something about our dedication to fake news correspondents.

We have our favorite comedians, podcasts, blogs and books and we (well, Andy) even had a paper subscription to The Onion before it was available online. I can practically hear my 20-something friends gasping at that the mere thought of a paper only being available in print. Andy’s appreciation for “smart” comedy even inspired him to take stand-up classes a few years ago and while I may be biased, his ability to weave pop culture and current events into a series of punch lines was spot on. So, with that backdrop (and the fact that I am a proud NPR junkie), it was hard to believe that we had never been to Charlotte Squawks. On June 1, that changed when we attended opening night of the 13th annual Charlotte Squawks performance at Booth Theatre.

My caveat: I am passionate about social justice and am proud of how I use my resources and time to support important causes and worthy candidates. I typically do not hide my ideology and in the current political environment have tried like never before to make sure my voice represents more than just my interests. However, 20/20 Charlotte is for fun. Just as much as I have never pretend to be a food critic, I have no plans on weighing in on any deep philosophical messages that were at the root of the Charlotte Squawks performance.

What I will do is share a few (well, 10 to be exact) thoughts about the performance and I can’t even promise they are all super interesting…

  1. The Charlotte Squawks performers may as well be rock stars. I had the good fortune of serving on the Board for Charlotte Ballet for 5 years. During that time, I became acutely aware of the amazing talent that resides in our city. The Squawks performers proved to me once again we are in a community full of artists. They were all incredible and I secretly wanted to go hang out with them at the end of the show.
  2. Mike Collins is adorable. For those who have attended this event, it was probably no shock to see Mike Collins sing, dance and tell jokes. For me, he was the “Charlotte Talks” guy who tells the occasional corny joke but totally holds his own when interviewing a celebrity who is passing through Charlotte. Seeing him don a tuxedo and lead the ensemble in a few catchy tunes was a treat and I love him even more.
  3. Holy moly, the last year was a nutty time for the QC. I double dog dare any other city in the US to come up with a longer list of “did that really happen?” moments.
  4. My go-to assumption was the entire night was going to be all about politics but I was wrong. While many of the skits did indeed poke fun at current events, there were tons of non-political jokes. You would never guess but it’s just as easy to make fun of Charlotte’s breweries, banks and sports teams as it is our politics.
  5. There are tons of public servants amongst us who I would label as “good sports”. I was pleased to see that many local and state leaders are big supporters of Charlotte Squawks and were willing to participate and even make fun of themselves. Even if they do not all get my vote, they will get my respect.
  6. The Booth Playhouse is a great venue. It had been years since I attended a performance at Booth and it is a perfect fit for Squawks. It’s fun when you feel a joke hit home and you are in an intimate setting that makes the punchline land each time.
  7. The highlight of the night (for me) was when I was asked by a staff member to hold onto a Pizza Hut jacket and put it on the character who would be playing former Governor McCrory during a skit. In many ways, it felt like my “one shining moment” and I was elated. It really does not take much.
About to make my stage debut!

8. I probably should be embarrassed to admit this but it took me weeks to figure out “Charlotte Squawks 13: Charlotte, We Have a Problem” was a parody of Apollo 13. However, once I got it, I laughed out loud. Don’t judge me- remember this is all for fun.

9. “We Built This City” is a total crowd pleaser even when the words are changed and it is being used in jest.

10. Next year I want to go see two performances. After the show, Andy had a chance to chat with Mike Collins and he learned that the show evolves from night to night. I’d love to see how it changed from the first to last night.

I want to end by thanking my friend, Mary Conlon, who encouraged me to attend this show. Mary has attended Squawks for years and they may as well put her on the payroll given how much she loves to recruit people to the audience. Mary is also one of the people in my life who challenges me to do more than just worry about the issues that face our society. I truly believe part of why I enjoy political satire so much is because I have developed an appreciation for the complexity of politics and being able to laugh about it from time to time keeps my energized. So I’ll close by thanking Mary, our current and former elected officials and the good people at Charlotte Squawks for a great night.

Lara, Mary, Me and Rebecca….Pre-Sqwawks fundraising event for Lillians’s List and Lead NC

Ghazale Johnston

Written by

Optimistic Type A Extrovert | Recovering Consultant | Spend most of my days sharing good thru Daymaker | Spend most of my nights with 3 pretty amazing humans

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