Randy Rainbow Scores in Live Show

"The country is in the shithouse," said Randy Rainbow early in "Randy Rainbow Live," "and it has been great for my career." It also has been great for the lovers of political satire who packed Boston's Wilbur Theatre last night for Rainbow's brand of smart, hilarious comedy. He brings the show to Town Hall in Provincetown tonight and tomorrow, then back to the Wilbur on Sunday. If you are in the vicinity of either venue and are in a post-Mueller funk, then go. Rainbow is proof of the adage that laughter is the best revenge.

Revenge on, of course, the Donald and his minions, whom Rainbow has been skewering for the past few years with his YouTube video parodies that have made him a breakout cyber-star. "I don't know if you were aware, but I have a lot of material these days," he said before launching a mega-mix of some of his most popular videos, ending with "You Can't Stop the Tweets," his clever take on "You Can't Stop the Beat" from "Hairspray."

It is that combination of Broadway and pop songs and sharp political commentary that is Rainbow's effective formula. As he pointed out throughout his 90-minute show, his audience is comprised of show queens and political junkies in about equal measure, both responding to his uncanny ability to fashion his satiric jabs in some of the smartest lyrics this side of Stephen Sondheim. (Sondheim is said to be a fan.) Two of my favorites was his rhyming "penius" with "genius" and "decorum" with "Santorum."

It is a big jump, though, from making videos in his New York apartment to performing them live, and Rainbow succeeds admirably, singing in an attractive tenor without access to auto-tuning. Wearing a series of sequined dress jackets and, at one point, a teapot (for his "Beauty and the Beast" take-off, "Rudy and the Beast"), he proves he could perform cabaret independent of satire. Though I must confess, I prefer him singing his brand of satire than, say, his Sondheim tribute. With Rainbow, it's all about the snark.

One of the show's more telling moments came when he sang "Carefully Taught," Oscar Hammerstein's pointed lyric about prejudice from "South Pacific," which he slowed up and turned into something close to a jazz ballad due to the accompaniment of the terrific four-piece combo that accompanied him throughout the evening. The 70-year-old lyric never felt more relevant. He also sampled "Over the Rainbow," explaining how "The Wizard of Oz" changed his life. In honor of the film, he wore sparkling ruby heels.

Yes, and in case you didn't catch on, Rainbow is unabashedly gay, beginning the show with "Let Me Entertain You" from "Gypsy" dressed in a pink dinner jacket and pulling a 50-foot fuschia boa from the wings. For those show queens out there, he even referenced Gypsy Rose Lee's strip routine from that show: "My mother told me not to talk about politics in public," he jokes. "But I am not my mother." The evening turned a bit serious during a Q&A with the audience and he was asked about his late father, whom he says was very much like Donald Trump. "I really have his (Trump's) number because I grew up with him," he said.

But before the evening became too much about his daddy issues, he was back to performing his parodies, videos of which filled the large screen at the back of the stage. Trump takes most of the hits, but so many of his teams. Kelly Anne Conway's loose relationship with the truth is addressed with "Alternative Facts" ("Jellicoe Cats" from "Cats"); Education Secretary Betsy DeVol is transformed into Cruella DuVos; and he waxes nostalgic for the divisive politics of old, bringing up examples from Richard Nixon to Sarah Palin in "Those Were the Good Old Days" (from "Damn Yankees.")

One of his cleverest parodies was his take on "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" (from "Mary Poppins") inspired by Trump's use of the term "Braggadocious." Called "Super-Callous Fragile-Egocentric Braggadocious," it points to just how quick Rainbow's mind can be in mining Trump for hilarity. His numerous interviews, which punctuate the videos, also offer examples of his cutting sense of humor. What may have been the most telling number of all brought it all back to Mueller's testimony – called "The Russian Connection" (from "The Rainbow Connection"), it underscored just how pertinent Randy Rainbow's satire is at this moment. And, yes, Randy Rainbow is his real name.

"I have an Emmy nomination," he joked. "I am a diva now!" he said, referring to his recent nomination for Outstanding Short Form Variety Series where he competes against James Corden and Billy Eichner. If that isn't enough to point to his viral success, then the enthusiasm of the sold-out crowd only underscores that in times of trouble, it is great to find someone who can make you unabashedly laugh at it all.

"Randy Rainbow Live" heads to Provincetown's Town Hall on Friday, July 26 and Saturday, July 27; and Boston's Wilbur Theatre on Sunday, July 28. For additional dates on his tour, visit his website.