‘Let’s talk about the ‘Real Housewives,’ ” says Kathy Griffin, conspiratorially. And for the rest of her shamelessly titled “Kathy Griffin Wants a Tony,” which opened its very brief run on Friday, she does just that — dissecting every character on that TV franchise with the sarcasm that’s made her a star, winning her two Emmys along the way.
She’s no longer on the “D-List,” as her own TV series would have it. But as she cuts down one celebrity after another, it’s clear that she still has the gleeful, outsider’s perspective that’s endeared her to legions of fans.
Nevertheless, she seemed nervous on opening night. She frequently glanced at a crib sheet and jotted down notes. Early in the evening, she even dragged out her “fairy godmother,” financial guru Suze Ormon, for an onstage hug.
Dressed in extemely tight spandex pants and a T-shirt with the word “Kath-eter” spelled out in sequins, the flame-haired comic delivered a generous two-hour show full of take-downs. There were plenty of jibes about such figures as Sarah Palin and her daughter Bristol — whose tendency to gain weight elicited the quip, “She’s the white Precious.”
She also skewered Kelsey Grammer and Charlie Sheen, as well as some celebrity mishaps — like Mel Gibson’s plea bargain and Lindsay Lohan’s fleeing her home because of a nonexistent tsunami — that had happened only hours before the show.
Griffin is the perfect comedian for these celebrity-obsessed times. Don’t look for any insights into the human condition — her humor is proudly superficial. But there’s no one better at making fun of such topics as the reality TV shows of which she’s inordinately fond.
Talking about the train wreck that was “Being Bobby Brown,” she declared it “the greatest show in the history of television.” She also rhapsodizes about TLC’s “My Strange Addiction”: “It’s a comedy but doesn’t know it.”
She is, not surprisingly, even more uncensored live. “I could never say that on TV,” she admitted after one outrageous joke. “Even on Bravo, which is, like, a fake channel.”
Griffin will probably not get that coveted Tony Award for this irreverent one-woman show. But she’s certainly giving her audiences exactly what they want.