The St. Pete-based theater troupe formerly known as Quirky White Chick Productions has changed its name to Economic Stimulus Productions. According to a recent announcement, "Producers Julie Rowe and T. Scott Wooten decided against buying plasma-screen-HD-television-sets and instead pooled their tax rebate checks together to produce live theatre." The result, they are proud to announce, is "performance art fully funded by the United States Government." It's W's worst nightmare! But don't expect performance art à la Karen Finley, whose creative use of nudity and foodstuffs used to drive conservatives wild. EcStim's show is just as subversive, but arguably a lot funnier: a revue of songs by Tom Lehrer, master of the sardonic lyric. Though Lehrer enjoyed his biggest heyday in the 1960s, his songs still pack a satirical wallop; with titles like "Poisoning Pigeons in the Park," "The Vatican Rag" and "The Masochism Tango," there's something to offend everyone from PETA to prudes to the Catholic Church. Come to think of it, W might like Tom even less than Karen and her comestibles. An Evening Wasted with the Songs of Tom Lehrer, July 23-26, 11 p.m. Wed.-Fri., American Stage, 211 Third. St. S., St. Petersburg, 727-823-1600, americanstage.org. Admission is a "pay-what-you-can" arrangement, so it's up to you how much of your rebate check you want to spend on live theater.
This article appears in Jul 16-22, 2008.