Tuesday evening at the San Francisco Public Library, Josh Kornbluth performed his comic monologue Haiku Tunnel, about his experience being a secretary at a large law firm in downtown SF. Mr. Kornbluth's persona is cartoonishly neurotic. In a hilarious introduction, he repeatedly denies that the story he is about to tell us is in any way true. The simple task of mailing 85 letters for his boss, an intimidating tax lawyer named Bob Shelby, escalates into an hysterically absurd crisis. I've had similar jobs as an office temp, so it was easy to identify with the stress of being at the bottom of the corporate totem pole. Mr. Kornbluth somehow remains endearing even as he makes things worse.The monologue is from 1990, & the office technology that is important to the plot is now completely out of date, something Mr. Kornbluth had to acknowledge a few times. Several audience members arrived during the performance & were not shy about walking down the aisles looking for seats. A man in the row behind me knew the show very well & occasionally gestured & spoke lines along with Mr. Kornbluth. At the end of the show, Mr. Kornbluth pointed out the real-life Bob Shelby in the audience. This performance was presented free, in conjunction with a library exhibit about humor & the workplace.
§ Josh Kornbluth Presents Haiku Tunnel
San Francisco Public Library
Koret Auditorium
Tue, 5/28/2013, 6:00 - 7:30
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