‘Satire Night Live’: Near-Flawless and Compelling

“Satire Night Live” foreshadows with the title’s pun. A collaboration between Satire V and On Harvard Time, directed by Grace C. Ramsey ’19 and head written by Cat Zhang ’19, the comedy show presented a series of ten sketches. Aided by—and dependent upon—the participation of an exuberant crowd, the comedians of “Satire Night Live” had no trouble cleverly mocking everything Harvard-related, from The Crimson to “politically correct” culture.

Entering the Adams Pool Theater to the pure timbre of “The Hills are Alive” was cathartic, in a way serving to cleanse the audience of any preconceptions regarding the show’s content. In a satirical production with contentious content, the creators’ utilization of this running “Sound of Music” theme served as a base that perhaps the entire room could identify and understand.

This may or may not be ascribing undue significance to these references. Perhaps one of the producers is just obsessed with Julie Andrews. Even so, those seated for the program now know that if the imminent sketches won’t make them laugh, at least they can give the creators credit for good taste in music.

The show’s simple set gave focus to the content of the skits. The use of only bare necessities put both the actors and the script in the spotlight, with most of the sketches featuring just a table and green chairs. The bareness of the stage highlighted the witty humor and animated performances but also stated loudly and clearly that this was a comedy show, and a comedy show was what the audience would get. Notably, the only times props serviced the sketches were when the the object was made a character. For instance, in the opening sketch “Helicopter Parents,” written by Zhang, the parents were literally the begetters of a toy helicopter.

Following this adorable introduction, the content progressively increased in gravity. A good number of sketches pointed out Harvard’s institutional flaws as well as some of its students’ twisted logic that most rarely, if ever, stop to recognize. “Rejection Clinic,” written by Savannah I. Whaley ’18, mocks the culture of rejection from various selective organizations on campus but simultaneously outs many for thinking that attending Harvard places them on a pedestal.

PC culture is a touchy subject about touchy subjects. However, this Satire V / On Harvard Time collaboration found a way to remove the tensions surrounding the topic in a way that was not just amusing, but absolutely hilarious. In a rousing finish, Emily B. Zauzmer ’18’s “Section of Music” brought the Julie Andrews allusion full circle with an admirably ridiculous adaptation of “Do Re Mi.” The sketch poked fun at the great detail that goes into political correctness, teasing students’ exaggerated efforts to be inoffensive.

“Satire Night Live” did levity nearly as well. Though a few of the jokes fell at various points on the spectrum of flatness, the vivacious performances of the cast saved them. For their portrayals of Jack and Brody in a spin-off of the near and dear TV show “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody,” someone should give Eric J. Cheng ’20 and Nick Durham ’20 their own Disney show right now.

Exiting the theater to more masterpieces from “The Sound of Music” and Robyn’s “Body Talk,” the audience feels elevated even right after realizing that they are guilty of numerous Harvard falsities. This in and of itself is proof that “Satire Night Live” has done its duty. For more hilarious revelations, the student body should be looking forward to more Satire V/On Harvard Time collaborations that are hopefully to come.