The Wastebasket Review

What do you get when you cross 100 teachers with the ability (kind of) to write their own two-act play and perform it in front of a live audience? A lot a lot of bad jokes - mostly pointed at the school administration.

Tonight my 11-year-old pleaded to go to the annual scholarship fundraiser/variety show school district teachers aptly call, "The Wastebasket Review." I relented and found myself in the third to last row of the balcony in the Sr. High auditorium. Bad lighting, bad sound and an endless array of jokes that could easily be downloaded form the Internet. This year's theme: "Wanderin' West."

The villain of the show, Hostel Macho, had permanent mic problems - making most of his one-liners impossible to understand. Not that the audience noticed.

Cowboy speaking to Hostel Macho: "What did the bartender say to the five dollar bill that wandered into the saloon?"

Hostel Macho: "I don't know. What?"

Cowboy: "Get the heck out of here. This is a singles bar."

Awful, I know.

So for $7.50 each we sat as long as I could stomach the show. Until my son got to see his fifth grade teacher dance, tell a joke and saunter off the stage.

The best part of the night? On the way home my son thanked me for taking him. Bad script, lighting, sound and acting - but a sincere thank you for time spent with me...that is priceless.

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