Ding dong, Cecily Strong is back on Saturday Night Live, and last night the show gave her the perfect sketch to show off all the reasons why we missed her. In “Outdoor Cabaret,†Strong’s a singer named Billie Moon, who just got back from “the only cruise ship with zero infections,†where she’d been stranded since March. She joins Duplex emcee Charlie Vig, played by Bowen Yang in a Walter Mercado wig, to sing the hits and exchange corny banter. Their mashup of “Get Happy†and “Happy Days Are Here Again†channels the famous duet by Barbra Streisand and Judy Garland, right down to the little bench, because it’s really the details that make this sketch sing. There’s a painfully funny accuracy to its portrayal of how NYC mainstays like the Duplex are adapting to the ongoing pandemic, from the space heaters to the QR codes on the tables to the server in PPE (Beck Bennett) trying to fulfill the Cuomo-mandated food requirement in the most counterproductive way possible (“I’ve only got one hot dog left, so take a bite and pass it, okay?â€). But mostly, the sketch is a mood piece, and an excuse for Strong to show off her pipes, which she should do at least once an episode (please give us a Cecily-led Prom parody next week, we beg). We’d pay full ticket price and the two drink minimum to sit in the cold and watch Strong sing and crack wise.
C’mon Get Happy That Cecily Strong’s Back on Saturday Night Live
