SETTLE THIS THING by the company (bick/antzis). Tarragon Extraspace. July 10 at 1 pm, July 11 at 9:30 pm, July 12 at 2:30 pm, July 13 at 3:45 pm, July 14 at 11:30 pm. See listing. Rating: NNN
Like their predecessors Alice and Ralph Kramden, Lucy and Desi Ricardo, Wilma and Fred Flintstone…Tamara Bick and Drew Antzis are the bickering married couple for the Internet age.
Sporting matching T-shirts with scientific(ish) blazoned across the front, Bick and Antzis introduce themselves as a real-life couple who have been married for 12 years and, armed with PowerPoint slides and some hilarious banter, they offer tongue-in-cheek marital counselling.
They also engage the audience to help resolve three of their own family problems. This idea sprouted a few years ago when the couple had a disagreement they couldnt resolve, created a video expressing both points of view, posted it online and let viewers vote for the winner.
They call it the democracy of strangers. This forms the basis of their show. The results are amusing but, by the third round of votes, things feels formulaic.
Still, Bick and Antzis have wonderful chemistry, like that couple you hope run into at your next dinner party.