With their jibes well-oiled and quips sharpened, the comedy troupe Hexagon tonight opens its 2007 production “Strike While the Irony is Hot” for a 17-show run expected to attract some 16,000 people to theDuke Ellington School of the Arts in Georgetown.
The minstrels in the show, who poke fun at Obama, Dean, Clinton and Teddy, as well as the nation’s “Decider,” advise local politicians if they “say Macaca, you’ll sink just like a rocka. Your friends will be in shocka, to see how quickly you can drop.”
Since its first show in 1956, nonprofit Hexagon has grown to almost 350 volunteer members. All proceeds go to local charities. This year, the organization’s goal is to raise $100,000 to help rebuild the 26-year-old Northeast D.C. Ronald McDonald House. The Ronald McDonald House helps families with seriously ill children by giving them a low-cost place to stay while their children receive treatment.
“I saw a Hexagon ad in The Washington Post, gave it a try and quickly fell in love with it,” said 31-year-old Ian Grossman, a public affairs officer for the Department of Transportation and Hexagon’s artistic director. “If it were easier to make a full-time living in this industry, I’d be an artistic director in a heartbeat.”
“I came to watch the show in the ’80s, and a friend of mine said I should audition,” said 48-year-old Jayne Victor, who joined Hexagon this year. “I finally mustered the courage to try out, and I almost fainted.”
“But everyone’s been so encouraging and I’ve already learned so much,” Victor said. “Like how not to strain my vocal chords and who to sing next to so that no one can hear me.”
