Play's edgy, but it may be more bravado than Brave

If you've read every page of this newspaper up to now, this will come as no surprise: This world is screwed up. If you turned directly to this review, you are precious and you will be saved from the coming Maelstrom.

The Brave New Workshop players have hoisted our troubled globe onto their collective shoulders, and while they haven't solved any problems, they've diverted our attention for a few moments. "The Brave New Workshop Saves the Planet; or Yes We Can, but Do We Have To?" opened Friday night in Minneapolis. The material seems more eager to offend than has been the case recently at the Workshop. The "F" bomb drops easily, the satire is as sharp/blunt as Brüno, and I can say confidently that I have never heard as many references to the uterus -- this side of "The Vagina Monologues." These are just the facts, ma'am. You can decide whether that's your cup of hemlock.

A recurring theme focuses on finding villains for our global malaise and the troupe makes no wild leap to land on Kim Jong-il, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and ... Gen. Tso? Yes, as the United States casts its competitive eye ever more toward China, we realize that the faux military leader's sweet and deep-fried chicken was introduced to America as an insidious plot to fatten us. Occasionally, these curs get help from Kate Gosselin, who at one point is portrayed expelling a stream of babies (Barbie dolls) from her fertile womb. Defending our way of life are two paradoxical superheroes: Megan Fox and the Matronator.

As that story weaves through the stage, other totems of postmodern angst are skewered. Joe Bozic's Ahmadinejad chats on the phone with Al Franken (Josh Eakright) about the similarities in their recent election dust-ups. Bobby Gardner takes a whack at the need to constantly replenish our instant celebrity stock by holding up poor Susan Boyle to more ridicule. Twittering and foreclosing, plastic surgery and Michael Jackson get dashed along the way with varying degrees of success; laughter is uncomfortably absent on several occasions.

As usual, Lauren Anderson is at the center of the best stuff. Particularly great is her work with Eakright in a sketch about scrubbing seals who have been fouled by oil. Things get a little sexy/ridiculous when Anderson gets her washrag going on the seal's accommodating belly. She also sings a ditty about who gets scapegoated in times of crisis. Suffice to say that you should prepare to be offended by its pointed, uncomfortable truth. Also worth note is the welcome emergence of Ellie Hino, who asserts herself with nice turns as Fox and Kate.

Now, back to the real news.

Graydon Royce • 612-673-7299