Randy Rainbow last night (Dec. 2) concluded his months-long Pink Glasses tour at the Hawaii Theatre. And it was an effervescent, eclectic and entertaining evening.
Rainbow (his real name) combines live singing with his famous pre-recorded YouTube videos targeting mostly bad-behaving folks in the political spectrum. Thus, his act is a blend of glowing stand-up comedy with charming crooning, with guffaws and slams at the naughtiness in the spectrum of politics.
Ten take-aways from the giddy fun:
1 – Rainbow lives up to his self-acclaimed hype as the queen of political parodies. He is undoubtedly gay to the max, and is proud and out and simply sells his brand with flair and finesse. He’s simultaneously witty and gritty and he eloquently and occasionally speaks French (f-bombs and s-words galore), delivered in the spirit of entertaining fun.
2 – He’s a clothes horse, trotting in wearing a handsome and glittering black tux, accessorized with a mammoth pink feather boa, with glittering pink shoes; he exited in a chic pink suit adored with his trademark pink eyeglasses. In-between, he changed outfits several times, including a pajama-like number with a flowing and matching silk-like robe.
3— A Broadway musical fan from small-kid time, he’s adopted many tunes from a roster of hit shows to hand-pick songs to suit his needling goals. Clearly, he’s the master of his craft, a brilliant lyricist with a knack to make each parody a mini-movie, complete with multiple voice-overs and choreography.
4 –Based on his numerous darts on Donald Trump, he likely helped Orangeface become the president. On his usual home front – the internet – Rainbow has been kingpin, demonstrating a keen representation of style, slams and silliness. Thus, weaving in his earlier clips was vital to complement his live show.
5—He’s quite a name-dropper, familiar with the political wizards as well as the snakes. The targets included Ivanka, Jared Kushner, Donald Jr., Giuliani, Hawley, et al.
6—He’s unafraid of working in words like vagina and penis (in reflections of Trump’s infamous revelation of itchy fingers and size) in adult-aimed shots, and he also is precise in picking out specific truisms of politics, like his funny line about Mitch McConnell’s neck nearly swallowing his face, and Kellyanne Conway’s coining of her incredible slogan, Alternative Truth. What dat?
7—In unreeling his parodies, Rainbow is a fierce multi-tasker — interpreter, lyricist, commentator, vocalist, educator. You may think he’s biased against the GOP, but his bits with Dr. Fauci and President Biden show he can geev ‘em to Democrats, too.
8 – He’s a smart pitchman; periodically, he paused to promote his biography and accessories (pink glasses, posters, etc.). Like a rock star or Broadway show, he knows that merchandising matters in bringing in moolah.
9—His brilliance is undeniable, delivered with joyous glee, in such segments like “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Korea” (from “The Sound of Music” dealing with Trump’s fondness of Kim Jong-Un) and “The Very Stable Genius” (based on “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General” from “Pirates of Penzance”) questioning the leadership of the dubious MAGA leader. Oh, and that visual of Vladimir Putin alongside the Trumpster was a howl — a Ritz cracker photo-shopped over the face of the ex-pres.
10 –He’s ready to run for president, or so he announced (with tongue in cheek) about an intended bid in anticipation of the Trumpster’s campaign to be on the ballot in 2024 (legal complications notwithstanding). Rainbow simply will be watching The Donald’s shenanigans to watch for material to resolve the drought of new clips while he’s been on tour…
And that’s Show Biz. …