By Tessa Solomon
Steve Martin and Martin Short ushered in Hancher’s opening season on Sept. 24 with a raucous evening of searing stand-up, raunchy puppeteering, and banjo-picking.
At Hancher’s gala event, the sold-out crowd packed the lobby in their evening finest. Men clad in tuxedos complete with colorful cummerbunds trailed through Hancher’s halls beside women draped in floor-sweeping gowns.
The building’s interior, made up of speckled iridescent floors, snowy walls inlaid with gentle skylights, and chrome detailing, complemented the crowd’s regalia.
“Tonight, we’re starting a new history book for Hancher,” Executive Director Charles Swanson said on stage before the show. “Not only new but a beautiful history book.”
As the stage lights dimmed, a suspended projector displayed a reel showing some of the most iconic moments from Short’s and Martin’s careers — the two on horseback with Chevy Chase in ¡Three Amigos!, a shoulder-shimmying Martin performing his “Two Wild and Crazy Guys” skit on “Saturday Night Live,” Short performing a series of his signature sketches. It set the scene for a show that would serve both as homage to their long careers and a celebration of their present pursuits.
“I’m so happy to be in Iowa City,” Martin said. “The Amana Colonies were a little too fast-paced for me.”
From Hancher’s bathrooms to the audience, not much was safe from playful jesting; at one point, a volunteer was pulled onstage and roasted for his ill-prepared outfit of jeans and a T-shirt. The hosts reserved the evening’s sharpest barbs for one another, though.
“You know what I love most about hanging with Martin Short? No paparazzi,” Martin said of the less-famous Short. In response, Short described an unsettlingly large collection of self-portraits that Martin has in his mansion.
They shared cringe-inducing anecdotes from their days on movie sets and nights at star-studded cocktail parties rubbing elbows with the likes of Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra.
“After about 15 seconds of knowing me, I had pissed off Sinatra,” Short said, still embarrassed by the run-in with his idol. Nestled in plush armchairs, their banter reflected the ease of a decades-long chemistry.
“We go together like Ellen DeGeneres and a vest,” Martin said.
Martin’s dry one-liners offset Short’s manic body comedy — at times he was either sprawled across the piano, displaying rainbow socks or prancing across the stage in a white jump suit.
The star of the night, though, was the music. The Steep Canyon Rangers roused the crowd with foot-stomping bluegrass segments, flanking lead man Martin, who played away on banjo. His fingers swift on the strings, his skill — which helped him win the Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album in 2010 — were undeniable.
After the show, those who abstained from the complimentary champagne began trickling out, but whispers in the breeze advised against a quick departure.
“Don’t leave quite yet,” an employee patrolling the parking lot said. “It’s about to start.”
With a shriek, a single trail of white light shot into the night sky, bursting into a golden firework. The sky overhead became illuminated by a brilliant display that rivaled the Fourth of July.
Leaving the auditorium, a solemn sense of what this night must represent for Hancher lingered in the mind. That is, until a parting zing by Martin sprang to the fore.
“If you take away anything from tonight’s show,” Martin said, “we’ll call the cops.”
