Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
THe is the Best Worker in the World, Michelle Wolf‘s tour show is called. Whether that means motherhood (a big one among Wolf’s recent works) or stand-up (her work) is left to us to decide. Such parenting can be described in these words, causing the people of Pennsylvania to respond with scorn, whose ears are closely related to what people doubt about birth control, breastfeeding, and many other things that women do without fame. Wolf is here to restore this balance, in a show that flies the flag, tongue not always in cheek, for the beauty of women in a society that is not built to support them.
Exhibit A, according to the 41-year-old, is menstruation – not just a woman’s period, mind you, but the whole shebang (unintelligible, unintelligible) throughout the month. Showing B? Pregnancy, which should be discussed in less detail about “your baby is now the size of a grapefruit” and other things: today, you are making a spine! There is much more where this came from, as our host explains the miracle of breastfeeding and (mothers of young children draw inspiration from her nearby) offers The Very Hungry Caterpillar as an allegory of the menstrual cycle.
It’s all good stuff, embellished with Wolf’s famous magic act: see the joy he brings to his practice of touching his newborn son’s testicles, and how he feels. There are also a few funny gags that were also salvaged from his one-time gig as Kim Kardashian’s comedy writer. At times, as he does with the ironic mockery of women’s faces, the appeal of his argument begins to wear off. And finally the gender stereotypes are well illustrated by the following skits about the Stockholm syndrome and the children’s song The Wheels on the Bus.
But all of these performances are funny regardless, and if we’re left unsure whether being a mom or stand-up is the best job in the world, it’s clear that Wolf nailed one of them.
