‘This Is The Week That Is’ has a better election special than most news channels

Amid this very divisive election season, “Philadelphia’s All Comedy Theatre Company,” 1812 Productions, has pulled off something quite extraordinary — a live, theatrical comedy variety show centered on the 2024 presidential election, but with none of its dread.

This Is The Week That Is: The Election Special, the latest iteration of 1812′s long-running annual sketch comedy show, is back at the Plays and Players Theatre.

Written and performed by Newton Buchanan, Jen Childs, Sean Close, Pax Ressler, Lexi Thammavong, and Robyn Unger, This Is The Week That Is spotlights Pennsylvania as the mother lode of all swing states, allowing for a largely nonpartisan variety show. With musical numbers, digital shorts, game show spoofs, and improvised audience interactions, it expertly avoids divisive policy debates, and instead showcases the absolute ridiculousness of the current news cycle.

Thammavong appears in a dating game spoof, “Swing States,” playing the state of Pennsylvania, dressed as a bedazzled Liberty Bell looking for love. The audience is encouraged to release their election tension and lean into the silliness. While jokes about women’s rights and immigration left some in the audience holding their breath, Buchanan’s impression of John Legend and Unger’s truly ridiculous Hulk Hogan left the audience in stitches.

The production is a comedic master class in its ability to flip between sketch and musical numbers, choose-your-own-adventure audience interactions, and ad spoofs. Director Melanie Cotton helms a production that highlights the strengths of the entire cast. Ressler’s ability to shift from performer to music director is impressive, as the cast is led through original numbers paired with parodies chronicling Kamala Harris’ inheriting of the Democratic nomination.

The show’s crown jewel segment is “This Is The News That Is,” a Saturday Night Live Weekend Update-like news feature. Close introduces the segment fittingly with: “Both campaigns just won’t leave Pennsylvania alone.” Marking the triumphant return of Childs’ “Patsy of South Philly,” Close’s news update is revised and updated for each show to include the news of the week, the day, and the hour.

But it’s not all about the presidential run. Close’s news update highlights local issues in Philadelphia, including the proposed Sixers arena. After allowing the audience a moment to boo, Close offers perhaps the best joke of the night: “Where are those five people going to get their Cinnabons if the arena takes over the Fashion District mall?”

There is nothing funnier to a Philly audience than a joke that only makes sense to them.

Through Nov. 3 at Plays & Players Theatre, 1714 Delancey Place, Philadelphia, Pa., 1812productions.org/tw2024. Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes (including an intermission).

Theater reviews are produced independently by The Inquirer without editorial input by their sponsor, Visit Philadelphia.