‘Evening of Comedy and Music’ a Success
Thursday, April 12, 2006
A full house at Los Angeles’ Skirball Center enjoyed dinner, stand-up comedy and live music on Monday while honoring luminaries of the drug policy reform movement. The event brought together hundreds of committed drug policy reformers as a fundraiser for the Drug Policy Alliance.
Bruce Vilanch contributed his writing talents to the role of master of ceremonies, while unCabaret’s Beth Lapides, musician Jill Sobule, DPA board member Jason Flom, and comedians John Fugelsang, Andy Dick, and Jeffrey Ross offered their takes on the drug war. Highlights included a comprehensive – and hilarious – look from Fugelsang at how the drug war became what it is today, and off-the-wall Chinese poetry from Ross. Sobule gave a mesmerizing performance that left the audience calling for more, and Flom impressed the crowd with his amateur comedy antics as well as a personal plea for recognition of the racism of the drug war.
The honorees of the evening, Jodie Evans, Max Palevsky and Arianna Huffington, expressed strong personal messages as well. Evans noted that the most rewarding thing about being part of DPA has been to see her and Palevsky’s college-student son become deeply involved in the issue as part of Students for Sensible Drug Policy. Huffington took a political tack, impressing upon the audience that drug policy reformers must stop supporting candidates – regardless of their party affiliation – who do not support drug policy reform. She also wrote about the event the next day in The Huffington Post.
From the honorees’ speeches to the beautiful music and incisive humor, the evening was a tremendous success. The event gathered hundreds of people for an important cause, raising a total of $121,000 for DPA – and donations are still coming in. Heartfelt thanks go to all the performers and attendees for their commitment to drug policy reform, and to UnCabaret and Mann Productions in particular for their role in organizing the event. If you live in the Los Angeles area and haven’t been to an UnCabaret event, check them out.
