BubbleCAN Recap: Family Guy Live at JFL42

 

What starts out as a big brass run-through of the Family Guy soundtrack transforms into an electrifying duet of the Family Guy theme, sung between Seth MacFarlane and Alex Borstein as Peter and Lois. What a way to start the show, but this is not your average comedy show, it’s a spectacle.

The 40-piece big band (led by Academy Award nominated composer Walter Murphy) even throws in a tenor sax solo intermission, setting the bar for the rest of the night.

After the introduction of the Griffin cast members, series regulars John Viener, Mike Henry and Danny Smith get some limelight – but of course, Mila Kunis and Seth Green receive the biggest applauds.

Before the cast begins a live-read of last season’s “Farmer Guy”, MacFarlane and the gang make light of treading on Canadian soil (it’s really just rocks and clay encompassing the Canadian Shield), even “shitting” on American cities – evoking visiting Floridian and New Englander audience members.

The cast performed series’ hits like Prom Night Dumpster Baby, My Drunken Irish Dad, Somewhere That’s Green, The FCC Song (to which Alex Borstein comments Canada’s equivalent, the CRTC, sounds a little too close to another four-letter C word), and the Emmy nominated Down’s Syndrome Girl between each of the three acts.

But the highlight of the musical numbers came down to MacFarlane lighting a cigarette and performing Stewie’s rendition of William Shatner’s Rocket Man, where part way through he executes a spot-on Shatner impression.

And MacFarlane couldn’t help but initiate the Lonely Man theme, (Stewie’s 1980’s Hulk credit roll parody) not once, but twice, throughout the show.

But what starts out as an interactive laugh-fest painfully transgresses into a muddled Q&A.

Some of these “die-hard” fans asked questions that began with “Can I get a picture with…” or “Ummm er ahhh.”

One even resorted to almost spelling out the name of his cartoon production website before asking a question that show runners like MacFarlane and Green probably get on a daily basis. Green seemed to want to rush through the questions, either because he was already exposed to such degeneracy at the 7 p.m. show, or he’s a stand-up guy, hoping to get through each question before wrapping up.

One question that crossed my mind was “Over the past 14 years, 12 seasons and 200-plus episodes, why choose Farmer Guy?”