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Tommy, Dick and
Hilarious: Smothers Brothers Return. |
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| The Smothers Brothers and the Kingston
Trio, whose careers started at the same club in San Francisco in the late
‘50s, converged Wednesday night at Wolf Trap and indulged a largely over-50
crowd with an evening of nostalgia, humor and even a few folk songs. Both groups were headliners in the mid-century folk phenomenon (recalled less fondly as the “folk-music scare of the 1960s”). But the contrast between them was more apparent Wednesday than the common traits they once shared. The Kingston Trio took the stage for 75 minutes, reminisced about the group’s glory days, told PG-rated jokes and sang about a dozen songs, including their most memorable hits, “MTA,” “Tom Dooley” and “A Worried Man.” Bob Shane, 68, the only original member, did most of the talking and, unfortunately, less of the singing. His poignant solo rendition of “Scotch and Soda” was the highlight. Much of the time, the group seemed like a trio of Kingston fans paying tribute to (and even apologizing) their old heroes, who had flourished in an irrecoverable past. |
 In their hour-long set at Wolf Trap, Dick, Left and Tommy Smothers Showed they had lost none of the edge that made their CBS show one of the jewels of 1960's TV. |
| The Smothers Brothers, by
contrast, made no attempt at revival; instead, they characteristically made
fun of it. “We’re not the original Smothers Brothers,” said Tommy –
facetious, obtuse and hilarious as ever, while brother Dick stared at him
with that familiar deadpan look of mock disgust. “Those boys would have
loved to have been here tonight, but they passed away in 1969.” The act hasn’t changed in more than 40 years, but instead of seeming like an anachronism, it’s still fresh and perfectly timed, as Tommy relentlessly drives Dick to exasperation with his smart-aleck contempt for his brother’s earnestness. In their very brief 60 minutes, the Brothers steered clear of topical humor – an odd direction for Washington audiences – and sailed through bits with roots in “Huck Finn,” vaudeville and contemporary satire. On top of their impeccable timing, they harmonize like choirboys on their song fragments, making you almost wish they’d cut the jokes short enough to finish one of their musical numbers. |
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