Beau Cribbs and his merry band at the Coalition Theater behind the television-style talk show “RVA Tonight” are firing up the grill to prepare well-done comedy this holiday weekend. The show, “Conceived in Liberty,” is a composite of sketches with subjects topical, historical and cultural.
What Cribbs didn’t want was an hour-long show all about the present political situation. After all, we want something to laugh about. “We are taking this time to be an equal-opportunity offender,” he says. And anyway, with news events coming at us faster and noisier and grosser than bugs on the windshield, there is some limitation on how to-the-minute one can be.
Which is the “art” part of “theater,” if you mix up the letters.
Beau Cribbs, director of Coalition Theater's upcoming production, "Conceived in Liberty" (Photo courtesy Beau Cribbs)
“I’m a fan of American pop culture, political humor and satire,” Cribbs says regarding his first big production in a year. “I thought it was a good fit.” Thus, he’s directing this Fourth of July-themed show, written by its cast of 10 and several other Coalition collaborators.
A show like this doesn’t get thrown together — regardless of how haphazard an experience a production may seem. “ 'RVA Tonight' was like running a marathon every month,” Cribbs says. Now, with some preparation time, “Conceived in Liberty” has enjoyed a gestation of about five months, with writing and rehearsing taking up the past six weeks.
Since "Conceived in Liberty" is about the Fourth of July, will there be pyrotechnics? Will the production blow up anything?
“No, no, we’re not blowing anything up, except maybe my reputation,” Cribbs jokes. The show, however, will send up — in a metaphorical way — Fourth of July traditions.
And the Coalition is air-conditioned, with cold beer available. Seating is limited. A portion of proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the ACLU of Virginia.
Unfortunately, there are unlikely to be any spontoons in the show, as demonstrated in the 1986 Alan Alda film “Sweet Liberty,” about a small town getting turned upside down when Hollywood arrives to adapt the local college professor’s Revolutionary War history of the Battle of Cowpens.
Ain’t no nerds like Revolutionary War nerds.
“Conceived in Liberty” takes place at the Coalition Theater Friday, June 29, through Monday, July 2, at 8 p.m. $10. 8 W. Broad St., 804-332-5857.
