Cleveland comedian Mike Head’s routine may bowl over fans at the Improv or Hilarities East 4th. But it didn’t play at his Monday-night show at the Lorain Palace Theatre.
The Lorain Community Music Theatre hired Head to emcee a choral festival at which 30 high school choirs from Admiral King, Elyria, Vermilion and other high schools performed staid traditional carols and uptempo secular fare. In between sets, Head was supposed to treat the affair like the family event it was — simply announce the next choir. Instead, the audience heard nothing but off-color gags on what Lorain Countians apparently believe are touchy subjects: the Iraq war, draft-dodging, and the flatulence problems of senior citizens.
“He managed to insult everyone,” e-mailed Palace Theatre Director John Handyside to his board members. “Whatever he thought were jokes had nothing to do with the holiday program. That’s what got everybody riled up.”
To say the least. The theater has taken dozens of complaint calls since the show. All Lorain Community Music Theatre President Ron Cocco will say is that Head’s brand of humor was “unplanned and unforeseen.” Not anymore. — Cris Glaser
This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2006.