I decided to see Sean Conrad and Becky Goodman’s show “Janitor/Manager and How to Have an Affair Without Really Trying” after being handed a flyer for the event from a person wearing a vulva costume and dancing outside the Blackwell’s on South Bridge. This weird introduction to the show itself proved to be very appropriate, because Conrad and Goodman’s show is definitely a wacky (though enjoyable) experience.
Conrad and Goodman perform two separate, thirty-minute shows during this performance, which are not related to one another and don’t necessarily seem targeted for the same audience either. The connection between them is a little unclear, as is the reason why they decided to pair up for the Fringe debuts, but one thing about “Janitor/Manager and How to Have an Affair Without Really Trying” is that you have to be okay rolling with the unknown.
Conrad’s “Janitor/Manager” is a stand-up performance about his quest to move to New York City and start a career in comedy, only to end up as a Janitor (later Janitor slash Manager) at a failing comedy club. I must admit that I wish Conrad had been more vulnerable throughout his set. He mentions going to a small Christian university, but never delves into what that experience was like or what prompted him to leave it behind for New York. He lays out a lot of objectively funny jokes and develops a good rapport with his audience, but it all feels a bit surface-level.
Becky Goodman’s “How to Have an Affair Without Really Trying” is the opposite, going intensely deep within about thirty seconds of beginning her set. Goodman tells the story of how she, as a 19-year-old, had her first relationship with a married 60-year-old man, and how this relationship contributed to a long and traumatic pattern of being the ‘other woman’ for much older married men. She combines comedy and music to tell this story in graphic, tragic detail, inviting us to laugh and gasp at her past sexual escapades and current attempts to process the trauma of them. I have to admit I was not prepared for Goodman to rap about the clitoris in this show (she does… for several minutes… with audience assistance!). I can say it was an experience I will never forget.
Together, Conrad and Goodman are an odd pair, and that works for this odd show which is quirky and unashamedly itself. I felt a whole range of human emotions in sixty minutes and laughed throughout it. If you want a little weirdness in your life, I highly recommend taking a chance on the person wearing the vulva outfit and attending this show.
Janitor/Manager & How to Have an Affair Without Really Trying runs at 19:40 daily through 27 August at ZOO Playground. Tickets are available for purchase here.
Image courtsey of Sean Conrad and Becky Goodman, provided to The Student as press material.