Word: laughingstocks
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...than that of the NAACP. Boston was the last franchise in the major leagues to sign a black player--passing up Jackie Robinson and Willie Mays to do so. When they finally did take one on, it was a woefully inadequate infielder named Pumpsie Green, who quickly became a laughingstock. Since then, no black players have made history with the team. Those who promised to-Reggie Smith. George Scott. Tommy Harper--were traded, the first two of whom went instantly red-hot on their new teams. Now Boston has a whiter team than almost any club, as the American League...
...range of colors and materials that might have appeared subversive a decade or so ago; early returns indicate that lighter colors and dark colors with wide stripes are among the favorites for business suits. In place of the heavy worsteds and woolens that once made the perspiring milord a laughingstock at Mediterranean watering places, the new look employs mostly lightweight (11 oz. to 14 oz.) fabrics, including polyester and cotton blends. Most of the suits can be brightened up or toned down with stylish waistcoats. Customer and tailor are free to interpret the line as they see fit, choosing from...
Some of The Laughingstock's targets, like Kissinger's foreign policy and forced busing, for example, are serious enough to demand a high level of wit and political awareness in their treatment, instead of one-joke situations that never delve beneath the surface lies, not to mention the deeper ones. Some of the other things The Laughingstock makes fun of--French chanteuses, mystical gurus, and throwing up, for example--are on a completely different level but get the same treatment. The Laughingstock never makes more than one satirical point per situation, and that one isn't always so hot. Kissinger...
...LAUGHINGSTOCK performs in the basement of a restaurant in the Square and does manage to create a cabaret-like atmosphere of informality. The cost of all this sophistication, though, is high: aside from a $3 or $4 cover, depending on the day of the week, you'll be required to buy a drink (the beer, for example, costs $1--only Schlitz is available). Somehow, whether it's the atmosphere or not, the songs come off better than the a cappella routines. The music is fun and even if the lyrics have even less political depth than the skits, well...
...cast, too, was spirited. Jon Spayde was particularly good; Debby Freedman and Ken Schiff only slightly less capable and energetic. They did their best, and The Laughingstock is certainly a well-meaning, ingratiating show. It's just that it has no cutting edge, no point of view to make it satire instead of a collection of better-and-worse gags. There is nothing in it that could possibly offend the comfortable businessman in from Brookline for a wild evening in the Square. Perhaps the funniest bit is about a youngman who takes his incredibly uncouth date to a fancy French...