The creators of the latest new late-night phenomenon at the Royal George are calling it “the bluegrass Spinal Tap: three-part harmony, one part comedy.” Brought to you in part by the creator of another phenomenon, Vicki Quade, who brought to life Late Nite Catechism some eight years ago, Here Come the Famous Brothers explores a whole new area, but has all the panache, humor and charm of Quade’s earlier success.
Here Come the Famous Brothers is the fictional story of the Famous Brothers, originally of Monkey Crevice, West Virginia. The brothers won a one-way ticket to the big city when their bluegrass musical stylings were discovered on WVMC (the “voice of Monkey Crevice”). And now the brothers are making a name for themselves among Chicago’s theater scene, using a down-home, lustrous thee-part harmony style all their own. Their show is made up of some 18 bluegrass songs, interrupted by the brother’s often ridiculous banter, insults and sometimes, physical violence. It’s all in good fun and the trio never forgets their mission: to keep our toes tapping with their own brand of deceptively corn pone tunes. Although the press materials compare the Famous Brothers to such bluegrass legends as the Louvin Brothers and the Carter family, their music is distinctively their own. Where else in blue grass can you hear a thinly veiled reference to pleasing a woman with oral sex? But “Yodel in the Valley” does just that (“Show the little lady you know how to yodel. She’ll be yodeling, too!”). Most of the songs here, showcasing expert harmonies and some deft guitar work (courtesy of Ricky Famous Famous, aka Rick Vamos), elicit laughter as well as musical appreciation. Other highlights include Swiss Army Knife (“It took a simple piece of rope to take my brother’s life, but I’ve got 20 ways to kill you with my Swiss Army Knife”), Purgatory (“For as good as I’ve been that’s as good as I’ll get”), and Scarecrow (“Why do you turn your back on me and give my love the bird?”).
Here Come the Famous Brothers, a show of about an hour in length, is perfectly suited to its late-night slot at the Royal George. Essentially a bluegrass musical revue, with some connecting banter thrown in, the show is a surefire crowd pleaser, keeping the audience laughing and clapping along throughout most of its course. Along the way, the trio portrayed by Will Clinger of Channel 11 Wild Chicago fame, Rick Vamos and Darren Stephens, we learn something about the brothers and their hardscrabble existence in the coal mining town of Monkey Crevice, where they grew up on an acre of mud, with a three-legged dog and three different mothers (they were all born on the same day). The Famous Brothers take sibling rivalry to new heights, but the point of the show, as pointed out by the deceptively dumb and taciturn Ricky by the show’s end, is that their family love can triumph over any differences the brothers might have.
Here Come the Famous Brothers is well worth a look. Hell, it’s worth sittin’ and stayin’ a while—enjoying the finest blue grass harmonies you’ll ever hope to find in the big city.