The Coincidental Hour
The Coincidental Hour is a performance art/game show of sorts, spearheaded by Ric Royer and friends. At first, it might seem like a lighthearted way to win $100 or so. There are musical guests, a projector and a microphone. A set of comedic questions would suffice. That’s probably how things would go down in regular time, but not during the Coincidental Hour. For 60 minutes in this alternate universe, the world wobbles helplessly on its side and you just have to roll with it. I bought into all this fantastical hoopla and to my delight, was rewarded with what I consider the most fucked up thing I’ve seen all year. Living in Providence, that’s saying a lot.
“Imagine Pee Wee’s Playhouse in the Twilight Zone hosted by Dick Cavett on Stairway to Stardom. ” — Ric Royer
The pacing of the comedic bits can be slightly sporadic and jarring. Ric does a tremendous job of keeping the audience in a place of delight, haunted by manic confusion. Perhaps influenced by artists like Tim and Eric and Andy Kaufman, everything about the Coincidental Hour has a certain tint of uneasiness. These bizarre skits are wedged between quick, tragic songs on the ukulele. Some of the tunes are cried out without any jokes at all. This doesn’t just punctuate the action, it stretches the valley of uncertainty between the audience and whatever the heck is happening around them.
There’s so much to rave about, but I won’t spoil any of it here. You need to be there. You need to be there when when a guest gets physically crushed. You need to be there when when things catch on fire.You need to be there when THE SHIT HITS THE FAN. Anything can happen in The Coincidental Hour. You must not be afraid of the unknown.
Buffalo, Nov4th
Toronto, Nov 5th
Chicago Nov 6th
Baltimore, Nov 8th
Brooklyn, Nov 9th
There’s only a few dates coming up but I hope to see this tour happen again next season. Also in the van is Ambergris & Mark Baumer. I wish I could write about these folks as well but I couldn’t quite make it in time for their sets. Don’t be dumb like me. Catch all of this.
About the Author
Joe-Lou is an offbeat musician from Providence RI. His real job involves designing exhibits, but by night he does this stuff.
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