Just as Annie had her trusty sidekick, Sandy, so does Conan O'Brien have his faithful TV pal, Andy Richter. Now the man who gave us Annie and the man who jokes with Conan have teamed up, contributing to the latest installment of the cabaret revue, Loose Lips. Richter and six other performers appear in the sketch-comedy show, directed by Martin Charnin, who staged the original and revival Annies. Kurt Andersen (a New Yorker contributing editor), Lisa Birnbach ("The Preppy Handbook") and freelancer Jamie Malanowski have penned the show, which mixes the best-received bits from the 1996 mounting with new satires.
Not surprisingly, the main smack of this year's Loose Lips is at President Clinton's dalliances. The National Transcript Players will utilize actual quotes from such affected parties as Monica Lewinsky, Linda Tripp and the Clinton clan. Other sketches include bits on "Nixon and the Jews," "Manson and the Parole Board" and "the Barbie Twins' diet tips."
Mark Smaltz, Sarah Thyre (Richter's real-life wife), Scott Bryant, Greg Berger, Keith Primi and Ingrid R. Rockefeller (granddaughter of Nelson) also appear in the revue, which runs at Eighty-Eight's Feb. 2-Feb. 12. Rockefeller told the NY Post, "I'm playing (Lewinsky)... I do know that her life was turned upside-down by this, but I can't judge her. When you're a public figure, your private life is not your own. It becomes public domain as well."
For tickets ($20 plus 2 drink minimum) and information call (212) 924-0088.
-- By David Lefkowitz