This Valentine’s Day, there’s an alternative for couples who are tired of the typical cards, flowers and dinner routine. A Medford resident is putting on a show that could bring some extra laughs to a relationship.
“What’s So Funny About Love and Marriage” is a comedy show created and performed by Medford’s own Karen Brash McGreer. The show’s next performance will be presented by Mainstage Center for the Arts at
Camden County College on Feb. 14 at 8 p.m.
McGreer said the idea for creating a show just came to her one day. It started when she merged two of the things she knows best.
“I’ve been singing for many years,” she said. “My husband and I are very involved in marriage enrichment and marriage counseling.”
When it comes to love, McGreer is a professional. She has a marriage counseling practice in Medford with her husband, Greg. The two started Brash McGreer Associates in 1994 and offer marriage seminars, family therapy, sex therapy and life coaching.
As far as singing, McGreer sings as much as she possibly can in her spare time. She developed a script and performs the show with the accompaniment of a pianist.
The show is a mixture of comedy, song and stories about personal experiences, all of which revolve around the nuances of love and marriage.
“There’s two acts, and the two acts are half singing and half talking,” she said.
McGreer’s stories aren’t just observations she’s made in counseling. She’s also taken stories from her own life and marriage and added them to the show.
Many of the topics are relatable for all couples and revolve around what McGreer calls a paradox where the partner who drives you crazy is ultimately the person one falls in love with. She said the stories are something couples can relate to, regardless of background and situations. The music McGreer performs comes from a variety of jazz standards.
“It’s about 16 of the jazz standards in the American Songbook,” she said. “All of the songs are in-service stories about love and marriage.”
The show’s venues are all fairly small, holding about 40 to 60 people. McGreer said her audience is typically split between two types of couples. Some are couples who have been lucky in love; others are couples who have not been lucky.
Regardless of how past relationships have done, McGreer said the show has something for both groups.
“It’s light and it’s deep,” she said. “The show is also fun and enjoyable, but I get a chance to get some points across.”
This is not the first time McGreer has performed this show. She said she has done it numerous times in different venues, including in her hometown of Medford. Last year, the Medford Arts Center organized a show at a local restaurant.
Looking for a new venue to perform in, McGreer brought her show to the Mainstage Center for the Arts, a theater program based out of Camden County College in Blackwood.
“I just offered it to them and I showed them my script,” she said.
Mainstage Center loved her script and added McGreer to their schedule for Valentine’s Day.
“What’s So Funny About Love and Marriage” will take place at the Dennis Flyer Theater at Camden County College. Tickets to the show are $12 for adults and $10 for seniors. They can be purchased at www.mainstage.org or by calling (856) 936–2467 ext. 3.
