Comedy Review

RAUCOUS AUDIENCE GREETS BILL MAHER

KVI radio host and one-time gubernatorial candidate John Carlson announced
he'd smoked marijuana.

Dan Savage, gay editor of The Stranger and former aspiring priest, said the
Catholic Church had created a sexually freakish society that attracts
pedophiles.

And local conservative activist Erin Shannon OK'd homosexuality, pot
smoking and leaving the Catholic Church. It was just Bill Clinton's sex
life that bugged her.

In short, Saturday night's live version of "Politically Incorrect with Bill
Maher" was well beyond satisfactory to the raucous audience at a nearly
sold-out Paramount Theatre.

The evening was divided in halves. Part one was a stand-up routine by
Maher, whose pretelevision career originated two decades ago in New York
City's club scene.

There's nothing revolutionary about Maher's style of comedy, which is
satire punctuated by a few serious harangues. Current events inevitably
dictate the material.

But that material and its delivery are very good. Maher, 46, blends a
veteran's polish with a youthful capacity for outrage over hypocrisy.

A typical skein attacked the government's war on drugs. Maher scoffed at
recent TV ads accusing drug users of sponsoring terrorism.

"You're sponsoring more terrorism if you own an SUV," Maher observed
tartly, noting the White House is led by two oil men.

He then riffed hilariously on the arrest of "West Wing" creator Aaron
Sorkin for trying to carry hallucinogenic mushrooms on a flight to Las Vegas.

"They said he had impaired judgment," concluded Maher, throwing his hands
up in bafflement. "He was going to Las Vegas - a city built on impaired
judgment."

The show's second half was the classic "Politically Incorrect" roundtable
discussion. Panelists were Carlson, Savage, Shannon and local comedian
Cathy Sorbo.

They were greeted with cheers and boos in a "WWF Smackdown!" style quite
appropriate to a bruising conversational format designed to separate the
men from the boys.

In this arena, Savage emerged the winner. For a print journalist, he was
surprisingly quick, and despite his strong opinions, displayed the
flexibility that breeds laughs.

After the conservative Carlson announced he'd tried pot, Savage jumped in
with, "Then I wish you were governor after all, because I don't think Gary
Locke has tried anything."

Carlson was a close runner-up to Savage, scoring several well-timed hits.
He also proved tops in the department of physical comedy.

After an audience member threw a toy calico bunny onstage (don't ask),
Carlson picked it up and examined it closely. A few minutes later, Shannon
announced her pet cause was animal rights. Not missing a beat, Carlson
tossed the bunny to her.

Shannon, meanwhile, displayed admirable stamina in the thankless role of
straight guy. Her relentless barrage gave the genially sardonic Maher a
springboard for rejoinders, and he seemed to enjoy her high- pitched energy.

Only Sorbo appeared adrift, contributing little except a few light comic
bits that would have been more at home in a skit from "Saturday Night Live."