A half-century of "not being Waa-Mu"
Mee-Ow’s 50th reunion was an occasion for reflection, affection, and appreciative heckling.
By Claire Zulkey
After Evanston mayor Daniel Biss kicked off the Mee-Ow Show 50th-anniversary reunion by declaring that April 6 was officially Mee-Ow Day, the audience of show alumni semi-ironically chanted, “Four more years!”
The McCormick Auditorium crowd then chanted “four more years!” even more ironically for Joe Radding (C75), an alumnus of the first-ever Mee-Ow Show, who was there to discuss his forthcoming book The Mee-Ow Show at 50: From Cultural Rebellion to Comedy Institution. Cowritten with original Mee-Ow coproducer Paul Warshauer (C75), the book will be issued by Northwestern University Press in October.
When Radding noted that the improv comedy show’s 1974 genesis was a retort to Northwestern’s Waa-Mu Show, the crowd booed and hissed their rival’s name before dissolving into one last chant of “four more years.” Then they laughed at their own spontaneous creation and resolution of a group callback joke.
Such was the snarky, silly, and often sincere mood at Norris University Center as over 250 alumni and current cast members gathered at Mee-Ow’s birthplace to see old friends and hear stories about the show that Radding calls “a reason why students who aspire to a career in comedy come to Northwestern.”
Radding’s book starts with Mee-Ow’s beginnings, when Warshauer and coproducer Josh Lazar (C75) created a live comedy show to retaliate against what they considered the suppressive culture of Northwestern’s more “establishment” stage revue, Waa-Mu. This chip-on-your-shoulder attitude persists to this day among many Mee-Ow alumni.
Decades after the fact, returning alumni with successful entertainment careers recalled exactly which campus troupes didn’t accept them, what auditions they didn’t get called back for, and what sketches were underappreciated in their time. Actor Dermot Mulroney (C85), whose credits include My Best Friend’s Wedding (as the titular best friend) and the Emmy-winning August: Osage County, wanted to ensure that his 1984 show “Escape from Baltic Avenue” would be remembered as a return to a more traditional, wholesome approach after the more confusing, unpopular 1983 installment. From the audience for Radding’s Q&A, Mulroney asked, “Was the word you used to describe the 1984 cast ‘stellar’?”
Following Radding’s presentation, afternoon panels featured alumni who write and produce for TV and film, who enjoy careers as actors and performers, who have helped take improv worldwide, and who have developed a comedic voice in the real world. The conversations demonstrated how many different paths a Mee-Ow alum can take.
A few examples: Ana Gasteyer (C89) achieved fame on Saturday Night Live; Kristen Schaal (C00) is a prolific voice actor (Bob’s Burgers, Gravity Heights); Liz Cackowski (C99) cocreated a popular podcast series with Amy Poehler; Danielle Calvert (C11), Carly Ciarrochi (C08), and Peter McNerney (C05) work in children’s entertainment; Anjali Bhimani (C96) voices characters in video games; Saskia Young (C96) works in politics; and actors Pete Grosz (C88) and J.P. Manoux (C91) have appeared as corporate spokesmen for, respectively, Sonic and Fruit of the Loom’s Green Grapes.
Mee-Ow alums shared how experiences, lessons learned, and connections made during their few years in the show affected their careers. Gasteyer noted that she landed one of her first jobs in LA, a voiceover gig where she earned her SAG-AFTRA card, thanks to Mee-Ow alum Jim Duda (MDL89). Abby Kohn (C93), director and writer of the film Never Been Kissed, talked about how improv helped her quickly get to the heart of the plot. Grosz—noting how often directors ask actors to improvise during auditions or filming—said that “people who don’t do improv freak out. It’s not their fault; they don’t know.” Then he added jokingly, “and they’re bad people.”
Many alumni still clearly remembered how they learned they’d been cast. “I went to a massive audition, then there was a huge callback at McCormick, then a second at Harris Hall. I was so nervous,” recalled Daniele Gaither (C93), currently working on the series Everybody Still Hates Chris, who led an all-cast improv jam after the panels. “A friend went with me to Norris, and I had her check. She looked at the list and said, ‘You made it!’ It started to dawn on me that I can do this.”
Alumni reminisced that being in Mee-Ow was like breathing rarefied air. But panelists also shared more difficult experiences. Radding noted that the show was a “boys club” for many years before gradually diversifying; Gaither became the first Black female cast member in 1991. Scott Duff (C94), founder of Chicago’s About Face Theater, recalled realizing self-consciously that of his Mee-Ow cast, “I guess I’m ‘the gay one.’” Lillian Frances, whoteaches comedy classes at Columbia College Chicago, admitted that in her first year, Mee-Ow felt a bit cliquey; “I had a tough time in Mee-Ow. I think a lot of people did.” Bhimani remembered the “sheer terror” of being “a brown girl in the ’90s” when cast as a freshman. At the time, she thought, “They’ve asked the wrong person,” but she added that Mee-Ow taught her about taking risks and “getting comfortable with being uncomfortable” when performing.
The reunion inspired many other affectionate moments, with attendees sharing memories and exchanging hugs in the seats. Quiz Lady writer-producer Jen D’Angelo recalled all the times “when you’re laughing so hard and it’s so freaking joyful.” There was even a moment of onstage catharsis. When asked what advice he would give to his Mee-Ow self, Mad TV veteran Josh Meyers (C98) said, “Settle down. There were times I was an a------, and I’m sorry for those times.”
“Forgiven!” shouted a voice from the audience, and everyone applauded. Mulroney then jocularly claimed that he would tell his college self, “‘You rock, dude,’ insisting that “I was nice to everyone.”
Though not a Mee-Ow alumnus, actor Richard Kind (C78) of TV’s Mad About You, Spin City, and Curb Your Enthusiasm came to see and support his Northwestern colleagues. “After 45 years, I use any excuse to come to Northwestern to see friends,” he said, calling the event “everything I wanted it to be.”
Many alumni offered advice to the revue’s current crop (referred to as “Now Mee-Ows”) in the audience. Industry strikes, artificial intelligence, and the effects of the pandemic have made entertainment careers seem more daunting than ever, so some current cast members wondered whether they had any hope of matching the success they saw represented onstage.
“Everybody up here has had ‘no’ said to them,” responded Liz Kruger (C86), showrunner of the CW’s Charmed reboot. “Don’t feel like you need to follow any straight path. Don’t be afraid.”
Wearing her original Mee-Ow cast sweatshirt, Schaal further assured the Now-Mee-Ows, “This business is a long game.” In an apt conclusion to the final panel, she added, “The definition of being an artist is making art, so just keep making stuff.”