Dicks: The Musical takes viewers into a the sordid world of terminally straight alpha males, for whom no conquest is too large. The men, played by Aaron Jackson and Josh Sharp, are foul-mouthed, self-serving individuals who find a purpose beyond the endless pursuit of sex and money when they learn that they are identical twins who were separated at birth.
Based on a UCB show, called Fucking Incestuous Twins, in which all roles were performed by Jackson and Sharp (also the co-writers), the film is directed by comedy legend Larry Charles (Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Borat, to name a few). Dicks also features SNL cast member Bowen Yang, as none other than God, who offers plenty of opinions on the proceeds, along with veterans of the stage and screen, Nathan Lane and Megan Mullally.
To say that Dicks: The Musical is funny is to do it a disservice, because it’s much more: it’s an ode to the theater, a handmade, scrappy project that lets its freak flag fly higher than the sun, and it’s got catchy music. But to share any of the lyrics would likely put this author on a government list.
Together, Larry Charles, Aaron Jackson, Josh Sharp, and Bowen Yang sat down to talk with CBR about how this mischevious project came to be, and revealed the true origins of the Sewer Boys. (If you don’t know what Sewer Boys are, you will soon.)
CBR: Let’s talk about what might be the toughest sell: How do you go from a stage musical of incestuous identical twins to a film adaptation?
Josh Sharp: Well, that’s the classic A24 pipeline. Hereditary started that way, as a basement stage show. The little girl’s head coming off was very different on stage. I thought played better on film, actually.
Larry Charles: It was super funny, beyond belief, beyond anything I had seen in many, many, many decades. And the songs, I was singing the songs as soon as I heard them from the stage play. So why wouldn’t that be a great movie? That’s what my attitude was. It’s pure entertainment.
It’s got a relentless energy, too.
Sharp: Really? We tried to pace it slow.
I meant that I had very little time to catch my breath between laughs…that’s what I meant.
Charles: When you shape it as a compliment, then we will accept.
When adapting the show, how did you know what size it would be? It’s it’s got this handmade feel. Everything feels like you can see the edges a little bit, whether it’s dolly tracks, Whisper and Backpack. How do you conceive of this incestuous, hermetically sealed, horrible world?
Charles: They give you very little money, and then you got to figure it out from there. Why would they spend a lot of money on a movie like this? It’d be crazy. So I think having a limited budget was a good idea for us.
Sharp: An asset. Think of the things we would have done with more money.
Aaron Jackson: It can’t be that long when you don’t have the money.
Sharp: Larry was always big on the DNA being like it needs to feel like you’re in the room watching the movie happen, and also that it should feel like a runaway train. Sometimes, out of necessity comes inspiration.
How much improvisation was there? Because I think the way you guys use the word “fuck” in that movie is so inventive.
Sharp: Well, actually, that’s very Mamet. We were inspired by David Mamet, of course.
Charles: These three guys right here are fantastic improvisers. Megan Mullally, they’re just all great at it, wouldn’t you want to tap into one of their great gifts? They had so much material that they could generate. And they had no censors, no editors. They just it go, and a lot of it was genius. And you sort of have to acknowledge.
Sharp: There was improv, but there’s a lot more of just fucking with each other. Everybody’s pros, so you could come in, nail the lines in a take, and then be like, ‘Alright, now let’s fuck around a little.’
Charles: And those takes are in the movie.
Bowen Yang: Some of my favorite jokes in the movie are tags and scenes that were obviously improvised.
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Bowen, how did they trick you into playing God?
Yang: It was not a trick, a grift, or anything. I had seen the show many times at UCB through the years, and it was basically a monthly meeting, a monthly hangout for all the people who would go. They were very protective of the offer, and not letting me know until it was final. And once it came, it was a no-brainer.
Sharp: You don’t want to tempt God.
Jackson: Dangerous!
Sharp: Dangerous when provoked.
Jacckson: Like Lot’s wife.
Charles: As soon as Bowen’s name came up, everyone involved in the movie became very, very excited. And I didn’t realize when I first knew Josh and Aaron, that they were friends with Bowen, besides. Again, all these things were just very kismet-like moments that made the movie what it was.
Sharp: Bowen’s our nepo baby.
Yang: I am!
Sharp: Bowen is our daughter.
Jackson: She’s still breastfeeding.
Sharp: One of those weird things where the daughter got more famous than the parents.
Yang: You’re my Judy and Vincente.
I gotta know, Whisper and Backpack, where did that come from?
Sharp: Well, they were discoveries. They’re actors.
Jackson: And they’ve been in the business for so long, and no one’s giving them a chance!
Sharp: We just wanted to give them their due, really, because they’re two of the hardest-working little guys.
Charles: They came in, had an audition, and they got the part.
Sharp: We read a lot of people. Adam Driver read for Backpack.
Charles: People came in in outfits, in costumes, but they were the real thing.
Sharp: There’s an authenticity to them that reads on screen. Representation matters.
Dicks: The Musical is now playing in theaters everywhere.
