Sunday, March 1, 2020

SNL | THE SOUND OF MUSIC''s "Sixteen Going on Seventeen"

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John Mulaney hosted episode 14 of season 5 of Saturday Night Live. And in the first skit, Mulaney played Rolfe in a parody of The Sound of Music's "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" that was referred to as a Turner Movie Classic "Fiddler on the Roof for WASPs".

The skit opened with 16-year-old Liesl (Cecily Strong) informing Rolfe that her father, the captain, made her, "[...] sing in a night gown in front of all his friends."

However, Liesl confessed, "[....] papa says I'm too young to be in love. But I think I love you [Rolfe].

In line with the original lyrics, Liesl shared that she's "16 going on 17", and she assumed that Rolfe was "17 going on 18", but Rolfe informed Liesl, "Actually, I'm 33."

Subsequently, Rolfe asked, "Do you know what statutory means?
Liesl replied, "No."
"It means, I looked it up, and we're on the right side the cusp."
"Aww, I don't know Rolf. It's a pretty big age difference."

Then Rolfe informed Liesl, "[...] I am 38. I've had some birthdays since we started talking."

"38? I thought you said you were 33."
"Oh let me explain. I am 33. Next month I'll be 39. Baby I'm 41."

Later, Rolfe asked Liesl, "Can I help it that I'm attracted to you? You're so mature and sophisticated."
"But I still don't know how I feel about dating an older guy."
"Oh Liesl, age is just a number that the government keeps track of. For example, I am 46."
"That's older than my father."
"Damn, how sexy is that?"
"I do like attention."

Eventually, Maria commanded the police, "Oh, just arrest the perv!"

To which the captain asked his wife, "Hey, how old are you - by the way?"
To which Maria slyly replied, "I'm old enough, but it's still kind of dicey."

Rolling Stone's Ryan McGee summed up the skit well when he wrote:

Rolf’s catfishing of Liesl is played for laughs, but like much of Mulaney’s stand-up, there’s a darker undercurrent running throughout. He changes information about his age and background so quickly that Cecily Strong’s teenager essentially just surrenders by the end. Even when Maria shows up with the Captain to rescue Leisl, she admits that their own respective courtship is “still kinda dicey.”


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