Somebody come and play...
Updated program notes for Grouch on a Couch (for those who care):
Welcome to our humble little show, Grouch on a Couch. I almost feel as if I should be singing that intro in a Prairie Dawn voice while tinkling notes off-key on a grade-school piano. And if you're of the right age to get that reference, then Grouch should resonate most deeply for you -- at least, I hope it will.
From the start, I've always viewed this show as a sort of unholy lovechild of Avenue Q and The Zoo Story. (With a touch of the "'A' My Name is Alex" episode of Family Ties tossed in there, too.) It's about a lot of things: anger, pop culture, social norms, envy, heartbreak, disillusionment, alienation, bad parenting and weird sexual fetishes. But it's mostly about what it's like to be a constant failure in life -- and cursed to be the eternal underdog. Grouch on a Couch isn't about quiet subtleties or refined, mature wisdom. It's not for everybody. It may make you laugh. It may offend you. Either is valid.
I picked this character not because I'm some obsessed Muppets fan (ironically, my writing was inspired more by the songs of Joe Raposo), but because, as the antithesis to all of the sunny, simple optimism that surrounds him, he seemed to be the perfect metaphor for the themes I wanted to write about. Unlike a certain giant bird or one falsetto-voiced red furball, this guy's been around the block a few times and doesn't hide it. We're more like him than we're usually willing to admit. Even in the most bitter and cynical lessons he preaches, there's always a grain of truth. And the truth always hurts, no matter how young or old you are.
Welcome to our humble little show, Grouch on a Couch. I almost feel as if I should be singing that intro in a Prairie Dawn voice while tinkling notes off-key on a grade-school piano. And if you're of the right age to get that reference, then Grouch should resonate most deeply for you -- at least, I hope it will.
From the start, I've always viewed this show as a sort of unholy lovechild of Avenue Q and The Zoo Story. (With a touch of the "'A' My Name is Alex" episode of Family Ties tossed in there, too.) It's about a lot of things: anger, pop culture, social norms, envy, heartbreak, disillusionment, alienation, bad parenting and weird sexual fetishes. But it's mostly about what it's like to be a constant failure in life -- and cursed to be the eternal underdog. Grouch on a Couch isn't about quiet subtleties or refined, mature wisdom. It's not for everybody. It may make you laugh. It may offend you. Either is valid.
I picked this character not because I'm some obsessed Muppets fan (ironically, my writing was inspired more by the songs of Joe Raposo), but because, as the antithesis to all of the sunny, simple optimism that surrounds him, he seemed to be the perfect metaphor for the themes I wanted to write about. Unlike a certain giant bird or one falsetto-voiced red furball, this guy's been around the block a few times and doesn't hide it. We're more like him than we're usually willing to admit. Even in the most bitter and cynical lessons he preaches, there's always a grain of truth. And the truth always hurts, no matter how young or old you are.