`Tamer' Keenan Revue opens today
JOHN FANNING
News Writer
After last year's controversy surrounding the Keenan Revue and its presence on Saint Mary's campus despite its use of jokes considered offensive to some Saint Mary's women, this year's Revue has garnered far less negative attention from Saint Mary's students. Director Kevin Carney and Saint Mary's student body president Michelle Nagle both said that there is no real controversy this year.
"We've really had no interaction with Keenan this year regarding the event. However the students have really come to respect the right of other groups to perform at our facilities while acknowledging that we have the choice whether or not to attend," said Nagle.
Last year, a ballot initiative was partnered with the student body presidential elections to determine the fate of the Revue at Saint Mary's. Saint Mary's students overwhelming voted to keep the Revue on campus.
This year's Revue, which opens tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the O'Laughlin Auditorium, features less of the often-controversial humor of previous years. The sometimes off-color jokes have been toned down slightly in exchange for slightly more intelligent skits.
Carney said that the humor is "a little bit tamer but more witty than in the past, with a few exceptions."
Although the humor may be a little tamer this year, demand for the show has not decreased.
"Last Wednesday we went to Saint Mary's and gave out 500 tickets in half an hour and then back at Notre Dame we gave out 1300 tickets in about 35 minutes. That's actually one of the most enjoyable parts of the whole thing, seeing 600 people lined up at the Joyce Center an hour early just to get tickets," Carney said.
While high ticket sales usually translate into large profits, this is not the case for the Keenan Revue. In fact every year the tickets are given out for free by Keenan despite the fact that the show costs about $10,000 to put on.
"It's our gift to campus every year and we really enjoy doing it," said Carney.
Fundraising for the event has been going on since last summer with most of the donations coming from Keenan alumni and companies who place advertisements in the program every year. Though the funds have been in place every year, the skits were not chosen until last Saturday night, and the first rehearsal was not until Monday. However, Carney is not worried, as this seems to be the trend every year.
"I feel really good about it," he said, "It's really funny how fast it all comes together."
The show, now in its 26th season, runs tonight, Friday and Saturday night at 7:30 p.m.
All News Stories for Thursday, January 31, 2002
