Michelle Nguyen on Morgan FitzPatrick Andrews

Dear Morgan,

What’s in a name? If the name changes does the thing itself also change? And who is doing the naming? These are the questions I’m left to consider after witnessing the madcap medley that is, was, and will always be Columbo’s Day, Volume 1. 

Part kooky-caper with ample clown-foolery, part TED-talk on wor(l)d history and bird facts, I loved how you were able to seamlessly weave in and out of both serious and unserious subject matter. I learned true facts (like the German word for porpoise is just “whale pig”) and also laughed at the absurdity of stealing chairs in the name of Giuseppe Cristo. I was enthralled by the final confrontation between our hero and villain (or was it our villain and hero?), and was relieved when Columbo finally got his man after a hard day’s work of crime detecting. I also enjoyed the fanciful cardboard columns, pigeon hand puppet, talking box, and severed hands. I’m a sucker for absurdist props and whimsical scenery – and you delivered these in abundance.

At one point, you asked the audience, “What is this show about?” Here’s my attempt at an answer: I’ve always loved and hated pigeon’s pose in my own yoga practice – it’s so incredibly uncomfortable, but there’s something about the mental practice of challenging yourself to live with the discomfort. To breathe through it and think about why it is uncomfortable and whether you’re actually better and stronger than this one moment in time. For me, that was the core of Columbo’s Day – how do we sit with uncomfortable moments in our history, how do we acknowledge them, laugh at them, learn from them, and ultimately use them to be better. Thank you for leading us through this practice.

Your brain is a weird and wonderful place, and I enjoyed every second you shared with us.

Michelle

Morgan FitzPatrick Andrews is the Creator/Performer of Columbo’s Day (The Nonsense Explorer Series, Vol. 1).

Michelle Nguyen is the Writer/Producer/Performer of The Deer Ones.