Parallel Lives

Reviewed by Holly Bartges

Two chameleons are creating quite a stir in Denver with their neon split-second color change light show.

These two differ greatly from those found in Africa and Madagascar, and they aren’t on display at the zoo.

Beth Flynn (above) and Pamela Clifton (below) take to the stage in Parallel Lives at the Avenue Theater.

However, the two in question can be found at The Avenue Theatre demonstrating their unique talents as two of Denver’s top comedians: Beth Flynn and Pamela Clifton. To pair these two together on the same stage is brilliant enough, and more than enough reason to make immediate reservations. It almost doesn’t matter what show they are doing. Honest, talented comedy flows through their veins as black ink flows through a printer, or oil paint flows through an artist.

There is even more reason to make reservations as these two very funny ladies take on the 23 characters in Mo Gaffney and Kathy Najimy’s perceptive and laugh out loud play, Parallel Lives.

Planning the beginning of the world takes more than the snap of the fingers. There are some relatively serious decisions to make: What color should the creatures’ skin be red, tawny, yellow, black, white? White? Isn’t that rather dull? Shouldn’t the white ones be carefully watched? So goes rather flippant discussion between two Supreme Beings.

Under the astute direction of The Avenue’s new proprietor, Bob Wells, who has comedy written deep within his soul, Parallel Lives shines under a simple stage setting designed by Michael R. Duran. Wells provides structure and at the same time gets out of the way of Flynn and Clifton as they model more garments of their wacky characters than a high school girl does prospective prom dress.

The two Supreme Beings with ghoulish delight have to decide on rules for their creatures, deciding there should be no rules, only choices. The creatures should be free do whatever they want, as long as they get up and do it. Aye, there’s the rub: get up and do it. Giving humanity choices means accepting a variety of perspectives, that is all unique, all special, and all very much human. And thats where the fun climbs onto the stage and is let out of its cage to romp in the midst of choice, freedom, calamity, and confusion.

There’s Kris (Clifton) and Jeff (Flynn) who have been to a movie and end up in a gay bar. The macho Jeff turns on his unsophisticated macho demeanor for the wide-eyed silly Kris unleashing her nervousness through a motor mouth.

With chickens cackling and a cow mooing, Clifton dons a bandana, clings to a hoe and muses over feminine hygiene and freshness.

Dressed as baseball players with all the baseball trappings, Flynn and Clifton take the audience into a fantasy world of guys having monthly periods and how that would affect the world of sports.

Even getting involved in a food fight after their grandmother’s funeral, three sisters give behind the scene confrontations on tuna casseroles, trying oh, so hard to be politically correct in talking with mourners, scratching the surface to relate to each other, and keeping a straight face on how their Grams died.

With diarrhea of the mouth, two sisters from the Women’s Studies Department find themselves in a Health food restaurant with no Burgers, and Clifton’s character wonders in a panic if she should be scared.

The two comic pros transform into two young sisters attending Mass at a Catholic Church. Of course one has to go to the bathroom, and of course, the other volunteers to go with her, and of course, it is all a ruse to get out of church, and to dream and scheme up pranks to play on the sisters, which leads to a child’s point of view of the Bible and religion. One thinks she wants to be a priest and reacts strongly to her sister trying to explain she can’t be she has to be a sister. Logic means nothing here. It’s simply a juicy tidbit of one little girl reacting to her sister saying she can’t do something; It’s a classic piece of humor.

Clifton dives head first into a routine of one getting up and getting ready to go to work while listening to a classical music radio station. In pantomime, she goes through the routine to the tempo of the music. When the music is fast and furious, so is she. When the tempo slows, so does she. It’s a wonderful piece of pure unruly fun and games.

Exploring the plight of women and the continuing battle of the sexes, Parallel Lives gives life and breath to a variety of viewpoints, never pouncing onto judgment. Each perspective contains its own worth and value, and that after all is the point behind the choices. As well written as the script is, it is the two top of the line comic actors who keep the ball rolling, changing costumes in split-second timing, changing their expressions and physical looks in a blink of an eye, doing what they do best: make people laugh. Because they know comedy, read comedy, perform comedy. These two know how to climb inside a character and come out laughing. Having them on stage together bouncing lines and eyebrows off each other, is a treat in itself, but having them project Parallel Lives is an even greater treat. They know how and when and where, which is simply a tilt-a-whirl of comedic fun. Miss this show, and you’ll miss a much-deserved laugh, and a couple of unsuspected surprises because when pros meet on stage, anything can happen.