Don鈥檛 take Meteor Shower too seriously. It鈥檚 Broadway theatre, but seriously, well, don鈥檛 take it too seriously. At least that鈥檚 what actor Jeremy Shamos says makes the new comedy from Tony nominee and famous funnyman Steve Martin work鈥攊ts lack of pretension.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 one of Steve鈥檚 specialties,鈥� says Shamos, who stars in Meteor Shower alongside Tony winner Laura Benanti and Broadway newcomers鈥攂ut comedy icons鈥擜my Schumer and Keegan-Michael Key. 鈥淚t鈥檚 always fun to make fun of anyone who takes anything too seriously.鈥� And the quartet seems to be having a blast during their limited engagement through January 21, 2018, at the Booth Theatre.
It makes sense the comedy from the man who invented 鈥淭wo Wild and Crazy Guys鈥� (a.k.a. The Festrunk Brothers) for Saturday Night Live hits a balance of silliness and social commentary in his Broadway playwriting debut. 鈥淚t鈥檚 got a lot of different styles of humor in it, which I think is Steve Martin鈥檚 specialty,鈥� says Shamos. 鈥淪ometimes he makes a really intellectual joke and then does a crazy dance. It is sort of absurdist; it鈥檚 also got a lot of heart.鈥�
Set on the eve of the titular astronomical event, Shamos鈥� character, Norm, and his wife Corky (Schumer) host a viewing for new friends Gerald and Laura, a couple that gets off on digs at each other鈥檚 personalities and threats of cheating鈥攃learly opposite of the wholesome hosts.
A combination of sincerity and na茂vet茅, Norm and Corky take their marriage seriously. Enter Martin鈥檚 humor: Within the first minutes of the play, the couple physically step outside of their conversation鈥攁fter Norm makes an off-handed remark鈥攖o hold hands and stare into each other鈥檚 eyes and air their feelings. Cue the rehearsed therapy talk: 鈥淚 hear your perspective and I cherish you鈥� and 鈥淚 honor you cherishing my perspective鈥� and 鈥淚 appreciate your honoring my cherishing your perspective.鈥�
As funny as Martin鈥檚 dialogue is, an added layer of humor comes in seeing these four actors play these roles. Corky isn鈥檛 just funny because she鈥檚 socially awkward and prude鈥攕he鈥檚 funny because it鈥檚 Amy Schumer playing someone socially awkward and prude.
Meteor Shower also capitalizes on the comedic gifts of its players. Schumer and Key come from the standup and sketch comedy worlds (Inside Amy Schumer and Key & Peele, respectively) where improv runs rampant; Benanti has been honing her comedy chops for years, now the unofficial official impersonator of Melania Trump; and Shamos has performed in everything from farces like Noises Off to satires like Nurse Jackie. All four experiment with each other onstage, improvising physical comedy to inject a fresh edge each show.
Read More: KEEGAN-MICHAEL KEY SAYS HE AND AMY SCHUMER IMPROVISE EACH NIGHT IN METEOR SHOWER
Shamos especially relishes the scene where Norm flirts with Gerald to mess with his head. 鈥淚 just play with [Key] in different ways, and I think the audience enjoys it because they know I鈥檓 messing with him,鈥� says Shamos. (Indeed, the theatre fills with howls at this point in the romp.) 鈥淎nd so the line between my character messing with his character and Jeremy messing with Keegan is a fine line the audience enjoys watching.鈥�
As Martin鈥檚 work straddles multiple genres of comedy, and the actors straddle each other, Shamos finds comfort in surprising his audiences.
鈥淭he joy of watching live theatre is unpredictability,鈥� Shamos says, 鈥渁nd this show has plenty of it.鈥�
