Sitcom Theater. Are there any two sweeter words in the English language? As you may recall, when we went on tour in 2011 with a spinning wheel, we promised/threatened to perform a sitcom in its entirety if and when the wheel landed on Sitcom Theater. It took two weeks, but finally, at the Cabaret Metro in Chicago, three years ago today, it happened. I began Jerry Seinfeld’s monologue that opens The Chinese Restaurant and we were off. At first most of the audience was with us, give or take a naysayer up front (audible at 1:32 on this video). But the honeymoon didn’t last. Despite stellar supporting performances by William Tyler and our crew, at some point the chant MU-SIC MU-SIC MU-SIC was all but drowning out our expert comic timing, and we knew first-hand what Jackie Rogers Jr. went through during Gimme Jackie.
Less aggressive audience participation from Brighid and Michael, who write to us from North Carolina: Sometime in about the summer of 2001, my boyfriend made me a mix tape, which contained Our Way to Fall and henceforth it became our song. Fast forward to May 5, 2006 – our wedding day. We danced our first dance to Our Way To Fall. The best part was how sentimental it made our friends and family feel – even if they had never heard Yo La Tengo before.
And then on February 5, 2007, we saw Yo La Tengo in our hometown of Carrboro, NC at the Cat’s Cradle. They played Our Way To Fall during the encore. My husband and I sang along at the top of our lungs and loved every minute of it. Since our friend’s band played the opening set for the show, I went backstage with his wife to grab her coat. Somehow I went through a doorway and was standing in front of Georgia, Ira, and James, just minutes after they had come off the stage. I felt bad for suddenly being in their private space, so quickly went for the door. But then I couldn’t help myself, I turned to Ira and told him it was our song, and our wedding song and I thought they were totally amazing. I’m pretty sure I stumbled over my words like a 12 year girl, but it was worth it!
