Governor Greg Abbott laughs and urges Governor Lieutenant Dan Patrick to put the fingers of sleepy House Speaker Ded Phelan in a glass of warm water. The three politicians are asleep, and Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, clearly not getting the message, continues to try to invite himself to participate. Just as the old joke goes, Phelan outdoes himself, and Abbott directs Patrick to use urine stains as inspiration for the next time they remap the areas of Texas.
Fortunately, this is fiction, but its horror may not be far from the truth.
Enter political irony above the leg (a la #texlege), whose sixth season kicked off last weekend and wasted no time in posing the Goddess of Freedom in a wheelchair front and center. Comedy comedies make up dance numbers, plays, and interviews with political figures. Best described as if Saturday Night Live I had an unwanted pregnancy with The Colbert Report Repealed, his right to abortion is meant to educate and entertain — or “educate” as Stephanie Chiarillo, the show’s author and veteran legislative staffer, did, the wise. Chiarello takes the lion’s share of the production responsibility, and a small team and team of writers donate their time to make it happen.
“No one is paying attention but us,” Chiarillo said.
above the leg It bounces like a pinball bouncing between gravity and whims. The cast said, “Accuracy, has never been a part of the show.” above the leg Interesting. Like oh-no-they-didn’t fun. Like fun how Chiarello does you still have a job. She and her team of writers and actors succeeded in making the farce we call the Texas Legislature even more farce.
A favorite Texas beaver, Book-E—maybe really independent—hosted a demo of the game, So You Think You Can Vote. One contestant, a teacher and mother of three, is slowly learning that due to new restrictions on mail-in ballots and a 24-hour ban on voting, she may not be able to cast her vote.
The audience was given a brief tour of the Texas Twilight, where a woman embraced the fact that she could earn more respect as a firearm — don’t ask how, this is Texas Twilight, you all — than as a mortal with a womb. In a glimpse into the future gubernatorial debate, Abbott and his followers chased Democratic candidate Beto O’Rourke to the tune of “Yakite Sachs.” No one can forget to announce Dildo shaped firearms house boba bold reference to the legal limit on the number of “obscene devices” a Texan can legally own (five, if you were wondering).
Chiarillo has served as a legislature for the past 15 years, bearing witness to the strange behaviors — and strange ideas that exist — of those elected to serve the interests of their fellow Texans. While most of us watch big reels and hot clips on CNN or listen to a polite NPR news anchor on our morning commute, legislative aides pick them up in the trenches live and unattended.
Chiarello performed the show, which focuses on Texas politics, to the former Institution Theater—then one of Austin’s three improv theaters—in 2016. The institution accepted her offer, and the show ran for four weekends in the first year and sold out every night.
even in its infancy, above the leg Famous host Wendy Davis, who in 2013 procrastinated for 13 hours in defense of abortion rights and ran for governor of Texas soon after. Also featured is the former Senator and Mayor of Austin, Kirk Watson.
After two years in the institute theater, above the leg It has exceeded its 40-seat capacity, as it was not uncommon for members of the audience to have to sit on stage. “Magically,” Chiarello won a small Austin grant to move to the larger Debra and Kevin Rollins Studio Theater at the Long Center.
Before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Kristen Jean co-hosted mobChiarello, a progressive podcast promoting civic engagement, encouraged Chiarello to create a above the leg Audio notation. Similar to NPR’s Wait wait…don’t tell me!, Guest comedians compete against each other with the support of political celebrities in games like Tweets or Twasn’ts—as in “Are they seriously tweeting that?” Chiarello attempts to include a mix of lawmakers, lobbyists, journalists, and advocates in the podcast to give listeners a comprehensive perspective on what the hell is going on in the Texas State Capitol.
It’s no secret that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has been charged with securities fraud. But it may not be known that his wife and Texas Senator, Angela, have introduced a bill that would give him the power to excuse himself from those charges. It is unlikely to be public knowledge that actor Andrew Murr’s handlebar mustache (AKA “a Murr-stache for the age”) would “resonate through the annals of Texas history” in a decision made by actor Jared Patterson.
Chiarello witnesses the intrigue and continues to produce hilarious political satire – all without compensation. “Yes, I need a break,” Chiarillo admits. But then she asks herself, “Is it about the attempt or the people paying attention? And I think it has to do with my attempt.” Perhaps you hide the pain with good humor after years of working in government, but we must remind ourselves that we can’t look “over the leg” like you can.
above the leg It is Chiarello’s way of proving that we can and should laugh at the Texas Legislature because “people get so angry and then they don’t know what to do.”
And there’s much more to do in the Capitol than stare at the rotunda. Testified at the committee hearing. If you visit your representative’s office and don’t bump into it, you’ll at least get an assistant. Austinians have less of an excuse than anyone else, “if they’d get off their asses and drive.”
“Just do something and do something more than nothing,” Chiarillo said. “And you win.”
from San Jose News Bulletin https://sjnewsbulletin.com/above-liggy-plumbs-the-tragicomedy-of-texas-politics/
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