I’m thinking about variety. It’s the spice of life, so they say. It’s also been television’s kiss of death for almost 40 years.
“Let’s bring back variety” has been the battle cry of soon-to-be fired network executives for the longest time. But I’m nostalgic for the great days of variety, mostly from the ’60s and ’70s — of that sweet amalgam of comedy and music; of fancy outfits, ersatz glamour and lavish sets; of pseudo-celebrity hosts and guests who didn’t quite fit; and the sequins. I really miss the sequins.
I’m thinking about The Sonny & Cher Show, which would start off with a bickering dialogue that would somehow morph into a winking musical medley that would somehow wind up with dozens of dancers gyrating madly and pointlessly. After the commercial, there would be a few sketches, a musical guest, then more silly host banter. See you next week!
Just substitute Captain & Tennille or Shields and Yarnell or any other cheese-spread acts, and the format was the same. Millions of viewers loved these shows in all their goofy glory.
And then, all of a sudden, they were gone. The counterculture, with its heady stew of sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll, made these shows irrelevant. Glamour was out, replaced by a seedy authenticity. Smiling hosts were suspect, and Donnie and Marie looked sadly out of date.
It was with great excitement that I looked forward to Marty Short’s new NBC show Maya and Marty, ballyhooed as a retro return to the great age of variety. There is no one better suited for the job than Martin Short, the rare comic who can sing, dance and look great in a tux. His L.A. parties are legendary as Short sits at the piano and mashes up Broadway standards with his celebrity pals. If the show could have just a soupçon of that spirit, maybe it could do the job.
His wingwoman, Maya Rudolph, has proven herself an excellent SNL actor with a musical bent. The show is produced by Toronto native Lorne Michaels — following a fine tradition of Canadian involvement in variety programming.
The guests on one show alone were Tina Fey, Steve Martin, Nathan Lane and Drake. What could possibly go wrong?
The opening banter between Maya and Marty was flat. The set looked nice but a bit too tasteful. You can’t argue with the casting, but the sketches mostly were tepid. And why hire Drake and not let him perform? Far from being a radical retro departure, the show felt warmed-over, as if it were a bunch of outtakes from SNL.
An awful lot of bits were done outside the studio, undercutting the party atmosphere of the original variety greats. The director felt it wise to limit the shots of the audience, cutting the energy of the show. And why did Marty bring back the Jiminy Glick character, which felt as if the show were scrambling for material?
There was a nice ironic medley of songs between Rudolph and Fey, and I enjoyed the Filthy Rich sketch, with the cast playing impossibly spoiled plutocrats at a restaurant. Great writing there. And I still laughed at the Jiminy Glick/Drake interview even though I knew it was a cheat.
I really want the show to work and to be successful enough to inspire other variety shows of various shades of irony and homage. But a tepid version of Saturday Night Live? No thanks.
