Local feminist comedy group Critical Crop Top to present new show

Early next month, local feminist comedy group Critical Crop Top will top off its season with a new sketch show titled “Critical Crop Top Saves America.”
Written and performed by a diverse group of Atlanta writers and performers, the show will also feature special performances by stand-up comedian Katherine Blanford and musical guest Top Ramen.
Critical Crop Top, which was founded by three women, creates comedy shows that comment on a variety of social justice issues in order to “create enlightening comedic content that gives women, people of color, LGBTQ and other underrepresented voices a place to tell their stories,” a press release from the group says.
According to the group, the show’s central storyline focuses on a flawed band of superheroes who’ve come together to save America from itself. The idea for the show came to one of the writers, Nicole Kemper, after talking about the news with her son.
“Kids are very perceptive even when you try to shield them from the scary things happening in the world,” Kemper said. “One night, when I was putting my five-year-old to bed, he asked me if there was a superhero that could save us from all the bad stuff that happens in the news, and that’s when the idea for this show came to me. What if there was an elite band of superheroes, but instead of fighting monsters and aliens, they were here to fight all the things we fear are threatening our democracy?”
“Critical Crop Top Saves America” will play for one weekend only – Friday, Nov. 2 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. – at the Highland Inn Ballroom. The show will include a mix of classic physical comedy, political satire and “bawdy humor,” the press release said.
The show stars Aria Marra, Brian Ashton Smith, Laura Meyers, Nicole Kemper, Jasmine Waters, Carlette Jennings and Brandon Mitchell. It is directed by Hillary R. Heath. Tickets can be purchased for $10 online here and will be on sale for $15 at the door.