Cornyation is one of the most highly anticipated events of Fiesta San Antonio – and for good reason, it’s the most outlandish. Performances are filled with bright colors, over-the-top costumes, sexual innuendo, great irreverence, and lots of newsy skits and jokes.
The Charline McCombs Empire Theatre hosted a sold-out crowd Tuesday night for the inaugural edition of Cornyation 2015 that left little room to spare with private tables, drinks, and laughter pouring in from all angles. Few attendees know of the event’s humble beginnings in the early ’60s during NIOSA when Cornyation started out at the Arneson River Theatre, only to be disinvited because of its amusing and unflattering portrayals of local politicians who couldn’t take a joke.
This year’s show has not forgotten its past, with one scripted reminder that the show was “too modern for NIOSA (Night in Old San Antonio), and not enough of our show came on a stick.”
Skits on national and local topics filled the stage – everything from “Representing Measles in the Magic Kingdom,” to an ensemble mocking the entertainment industry’s common anti-vaccine stance with a sick Donald the Duck, to The Duchess of Princess Rubella singing a rendition of the popular song “Let it Go” while vomiting. Some of the other more memorable performances included a skit about the lack of transportation options in San Antonio now that Uber and Lyft have left town, and San Antonio B-Cycle facing impending funding difficulties.
When the curtain closes, Cornyation is a nonprofit organization that dedicates itself to bettering the lives of HIV-infected people in San Antonio.
The remaining schedule for this years Cornyation is as follows:
- Wednesday April 22 – 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m.
- Thursday April 23 – 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m.
Good luck scoring tickets.
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