Ted & Co. Presents Humorous and Provocative Show

Ted Swartz delivers a monologue as a cavendish banana. (Photo:Samantha Cole)

Brains, bananas, and banjos. What do these things have in common? On Monday night in Lehman Auditorium, they helped colorfully illustrate our society’s conceptions of today’s most controversial topics.

I’d Like to Buy an Enemy, starring Ted Swartz, Trent Wagler and Peter Nelson and presented by the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding gave insight to heavy issues in hilarious style. The satirical show featured eight sketches, intermingled with (and often interrupting) songs by Wagler.

Wagler and Nelson flipped through catalogs of people to hate in the reoccurring “enemy shoppe” theme, under the guidance of slick salesman Swartz. He pried their credit cards from their wallets with wistful looks into the distance and pleas to “think of the children.” “War is such an eclectic endeavor;” sighed Swartz with a grin, “sooner or later we get to play with everyone.”

During the actors’ talkback after the show, Swartz explained the shopkeeper’s many options; by mentioning as many races and nationalities as possible, including white, they sought to widen the scope of enemies to include our own inner dialogues. Wagler added, “We sell each other our enemies.”

As Nelson, the Cerebral Cortex, tried to rationally explain the different parts of the brain, Wagler and Swartz leapt onto the stage at random, uncontrollable moments representing the Limbic System and the Brain Stem. These instinct-driven stooges of the human mind reacted in panic to verbal cues referencing past traumas such as “clowns,” “communist,” and “9/11.”

For a moment of community bonding, Wagler led a sing-along in praise of Fear. Hands clapping and raised hands swaying, he called the audience to join together as one scared body, singing, “they will take our jobs” and “they’re probably building a bomb.”

Appearing in a banana suit, Swartz gave a monologue about the grief of losing his compatriots to the United Fruit Company’s control of the banana market. Commentary on the way Americans use their buying power struck a nerve in the audience, as revealed in the talkback. Many of the audience’s questions and suggestions focused on the banana skit.

Throughout the performance, the trio jumped from manic to pensive in rapid-fire fashion. Their lightheartedness created a more approachable, non-accusatory attitude, while posing important questions about our lifestyles. No political leaning or skin color was safe from critique under their guise of slapstick satire.