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Comedy Culture

She The People: The Resistance Continues gets mixed laughs for its all-female sketches

SHE THE PEOPLE: THE RESISTANCE CONTINUES by Carisa Barreca, Carly Heffernan and the casts of the Second City (Second City, 51 Mercer). Indefinite run. $27-$50. 416-343-0011. See listing. Rating: NNN

She The People: The Resistance Continues is a sequel to the hilarious, long-running all-female sketch show that illustrated why times up on male-dominated humour.

This time out, the sketches arent as fresh or funny. Perhaps its because the themes themselves are deadly serious. Anti-vaxxers cuts to health care date rape the wage gap mansplaining they all evoke anger these days, not laughs.

And although the returning cast members perform the sketches with commitment and the occasional mugging gesture (a sure sign that the writings not the sharpest), the show feels overly long and repetitive.

That said, there are some first-rate sketches, including one in which Tricia Black sings a song about heteronormativity and a newborn baby, a nuanced cheerleader bit in which the cheers are definitely unwoke and a body image sketch starring the inimitable Ann Pornel, who has a delicious duet with a piece of cake (Karen Parker).

But the best scene involves a grade school student (Kirsten Rasmussen) who takes an interest in her teachers (Paloma Nunez) changing relationship status. The details are specific, spontaneous and clever, and the subtext is deeply moving without trying for easy laughs.

@glennsumi

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