Sometimes the stars align and you stumble upon something truly fantastic on public access television. Sometimes your vigilant friends do, and they’re kind enough to fill you in. However Fancy Nancy’s viewers happened to find her on Channel 67, they are a lucky few who are onto some seriously untapped talent.
Imagine if Gilda Radner’s one-off, psychotic Girl Scout, Judy Miller, had hosted Pee Wee’s Playhouse. If you are remotely familiar with either, you can probably paint an accurate portrait of Fancy Nancy’s Funny Hour. Fancy Nancy, the alter ego of star/creator Faryl Millet, spends most of her half-hour “Funny Hour” talking to inanimate objects, but leaves ample time for dance breaks, absurd songs and mesmerizing soliloquies on such topics as her distaste for cats, her fear of being swallowed by a whale and what life would be like… were she a robot. Among her distinctive comedic traits are a tendency to spell arbitrary words out L-O-U-D and an admirable doggedness to bring back “just kidding!”
Not strictly a one-woman show, Fancy Nancy finds a supporting cast in her boyfriend, a toy horse, stuffed animals, several large plastic penguins, the torso/head of a creepy mannequin and a portrait of Jesus (who’s either laughing or screaming in agony). Most recently she started playing another character, her masculine cousin Vanessa who dresses and speaks like an eighties truck driver. Is it too soon for a spin-off?
Fancy Nancy is garnering some much-deserved buzz, which is even more awesome when you consider the microscopic audience her current venue provides. But if I am a remotely accurate test subject of her influence, she could very well be destined for cult fame – at the very least. This is a character that could easily be parlayed into a recurring SNL skit or, better yet, find her way onto an actual network. And given the presently low standards on most stations, I’ll be offended if she doesn’t.
Fancy Nancy’s Funny Hour airs Monday Nights at midnight on MNN.