The magical chaos of “The Gong Show” is coming to Mount Vernon Marketplace tonight. The Local Oyster has teamed up with Union Craft Brewing to create what the hosts hope will be a spot-on replica of the absurdist comedy-talent show that premiered in 1976, and has actually been successfully resurrected by ABC.
If you’ve never seen it, here are some clips; it’s basically a talent contest that bounces between irreverent jokes, rude judges who slam a gong to end a performer’s set in its tracks and a host of random additions perform live sketches as caricatures.
In an email, The Local Oyster owner Nick Schauman said they’ll be doing whatever they can to replicate the original “with little to no budget.” Folks will be dressed as original host Chuck Barris, The Unknown Comic (who tells jokes with a bag over his head) and Gene Gene the Dancing Machine, who dances at the drop of a dime if Count Basie’s “Jumpin’ at the Woodside” begins playing. They’ll even have B-list celebrities serving as judges.
Schauman said showcased performers will include Baltimore ukulele artist Ken Jordan, Annapolis blues musician Elizabeth Jane Hansen, comedian Courtney Burton and, with no other explication, “Rapping Dinosaurs.” Some other pieces of the show: a recreated scene from “Rocky” and, in partnership with the audience, beer-chugging and marshmallow-eating.
7-10 p.m., 520 Park Avenue (inside Mount Vernon Marketplace), (844) 748-2537. More info here.
