Robin Williams went on to star in quite a few more comedy specials, each shown on HBO. Also, Mr. Williams became involved with Comic Relief for many years. Each of those comedy stand up shows were hilarious and insightful. Indeed, it is difficult to say which one of his specials was the best. I can tell you that in the Summer of 2002, one of Mr. Williams' stand up shows was broadcasted live on HBO that nearly everyone wanted to see. I can remember it being talked about days and even weeks afterwards. It was Robin Williams: Live On Broadway. And in short, I probably did not laugh as hard and as often as I did that night.
It was not even a year after 911, and for me it seemed that topical social political humor was about to be thrown out the window, as it were. People then, as now, more interested and comforted in bathroom jokes and celebrity impersonations and parodies. Yet, by 2002, that was changing and quite rightly so. Bill Maher may have been the spark that got political humor going again; to say nothing of the likes of George Carlin and others leading the way. Yet I think that night in July, it was Robin Williams that dared to go all out. Of course, Mr. Williams always went all out in his beliefs. A very good example involved this little gem.
"Oh, guess what? Congress has passed a bill to secretly assassinate Saddam Hussein.
So what they have done, is announce the US' plans to secretly assassinate Saddam Hussein.
I wonder if he knows?"
The audience both live and watching just about fell to the floor laughing. In that one humorous observation, Robin Williams told everyone what a waste of time and money an invasion of Iraq would be. That of course was one of many different people and things he made fun of that night. I honestly do not know where to start with the best bits.
Would it be his Scotsman explaining golf?
His look at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City?
Mr. Williams doing a very succinct Donald Rumsfeld?
His extremely hilarious look at religion? Which I might add only Bill Maher was on par with in that department?
Robin Williams observing that after 911, not much has changed in New York attitudes?
His takedown on our at the time growing plastic surgery and medicine for sex fetishes?
Whatever it was, that night Robin Williams showed a vitality and sharp mind that I suppose was undervalued given Mr. Williams' film roles and cheery personality. Yet, Robin Williams had always been edgy in his stand up comedy. Go back and look at his comedy specials before Live On Broadway and even afterwards and you will see his genius on full display. Plus, if you had received the DVD version, there was a lot more where that came from.
At that point in Mr. Williams' life, it seemed like he was at the top of his influence; possibly far more influential than at any other time in his life. And there was still more to come from Robin Williams in 2002. Indeed, by August movie audiences were treated to one of the defining roles Mr. Williams had done in his life and one which, for myself, I walked out of the theater feeling disturbed. That movie was of course One Hour Photo; a role of his that I had thought would have garnered Robin Williams another Academy Award nomination. Alas, it did not. Yet, it was the culmination of a revitalization that should have, if given more of a look, been the spark that changed Mr. Williams' trajectory in his humor and his acting. None the less, we still have That One Summer.
An essay on One Hour Photo is forthcoming,
Robert
PS. Here in its complete glory is the Live On Broadway special I was talking about.
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