Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Colin Quinn’s patch work solo show RED STATE BLUE STATE is a pessimistic state of the union address

• By drediman
• January 23, 2019
• No Comments

Colin Quinn in “Red State Blue State” at the Minetta Lane Theatre. Photo by Monique Carboni.

Last night, Colin Quinn’s solo show Red State Blue State opened Off-Broadway at the Minetta Lane Theatre. Like our federation of fifty states, Mr. Quinn’s latest monologue-cum-standup comedy routine is a patch work that mostly works. Refreshingly, Mr. Quinn has some really honest and observant things to say about the state of our union, not all of which is uplifting and hopeful.

Fortunately, Mr. Quinn’s everyman persona takes some of the edge off of his cynical and arguably controversial conclusions. Although his pessimistic main takeaway is that America is a failed experiment that’s on an inevitable decline, it’s to Mr. Quinn’s great credit as a charismatic storyteller and comedian that he still manages to get us to laugh at our dire current situation and empathize with his point of view. In his eyes, neither the political left nor right, particularly in a two-party system, is worthy of rising to the podium to rule our government.

Smartly, the production has been unobtrusively directed by Bobby Morseco, giving the show an informal, laid-back atmosphere. Although some segments are more engaging and allegorically sound than others – I would have preferred a more compelling narrative through-line (i.e., more like a true monologue) – Red State Blue State is never less than astute, entertaining stand-up comedy.

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COLIN QUINN: RED STATE BLUE STATE
Off-Broadway, Play
Minetta Lane Theatre
1 hour, 15 minutes (without an intermission)
Through March 3