Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOSHUA LAVINE P ulitzer Prize winner Doris Kearns Good- win as Abigail Adams? Aerosmith rock star Tom Hamilton as the lady's adoring husband, John Adams? Former Mayor Thomas Menino as Inspector Clouseau? These charac- ters might seem, well, out of character for such luminaries, but Banned In Boston, Urban Improv's largest fundraiser, never fails to live up to its name. While past performances of the annual musical revue have poked fun at pop culture, politics, and sports, the 2014 Banned in Boston, playing April 11 at House of Blues, tackles the follies of television. "We wanted the fundraiser to really stand out," says Lisa Schmid Alvord, a cofounder and producer of the event. Now in its 21st year, the revue was originally held at the now-shuttered club Mama Kin, but after attracting such a large audience it moved to several other venues, and eventually found a home at the House of Blues (nearby, Patrick Lyons's Lansdowne Pub is host- ing a preshow this year). The beauty of Banned in Boston is that in addition to raising money to combat bullying, racism, and peer pressure for local youth, it brings together Boston's most nota- ble figures to do the one thing they always try to avoid: opening themselves to ridicule. "Creating Banned in Boston has been a blast for all of us," says Narcissa Campion, Urban Improv's managing director. "We deeply appre- ciate all who 'check their egos at the door' and come together to support Urban Improv's vio- lence prevention work with the children of Banned in Boston ONE OF THE CITY'S MOST SPIRITED FUNDRAISERS POKES FUN AT POP CULTURE WITH THE HELP OF NEW ENGLAND'S BIGGEST NAMES. BY JESSICA LANIEWSKI continued on page 62 An annual crowd- pleaser, Banned in Boston performs with a VIP ensemble cast. Doris Kearns Goodwin and former Senator Scott Brown in a spoof of The Fighter in 2011. 60 BOSTONCOMMON-MAGAZINE.COM HOTTEST TICKET Culture 060-062_BC_SC_HottestTicket_Spring14.indd 60 2/6/14 5:15 PM