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Comedy: Theater: Dance:
You
asked the questions
Who inspired you to become a comedian and why? I loved the comics I saw on TV and the movies. I listened to comedy albums growing up, Bill Cosby, Alan Sherman and Albert Brooks. When I got to be a teen, comedy was exploding. George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Lily Tomlin, Monty Python, SNL were all huge. Mostly I always wanted to do it. I love Groucho, Peter Sellars, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, Buster Keaton, Laurel and Hardy and all the screwball comedies. Go seek them out and learn to laugh again. How many ducks does it take to screw in a lightbulb? In Eugene four. One to find a bulb, one to get some micro brewed beer and two to hold the bong. If you were an undercover agent on a secret mission and could choose your mission and your character, what would they be? My mission would be to stop all governments from ruining everyone's life. My character would be Gerry the diplomatic Wombat. What is the worst thing to say or do at an airport security checkpoint? Oh, by the will of Allah, how forgetful I am. I wore my exploding shoes. What shouldn't you say at a gynecologist's office? A little to the right Doc. That's it, pow! Have you ever thought about using livestock in your improv? You pervert. A chipmunk, maybe. Who is your favorite Smurf? The blue lady with the white hair. Hot. Is there anything that you will not joke about and, if so, what would that be? Anyone who cannot defend themselves. The President and the rich and celebrated have a platform. They are fair game. Everything is funny in context. If you and your fellow comedians started "The Comedians Political Party," how would your policies differ from the Democrats and Republicans? Less meetings. More drinking. No voting, everything done by applause. Everyone do what you want. Keep to your time. If you could spend an evening with anyone, living or dead, who would that be? My wife. In Paris, France. If the world was coming to an abrupt end and all you were allowed to bring into heaven was one pair of shoes, which pair of your shoes would you choose? My brown suede Fratelli lace-ups. Divine comfort for the afterworld. What do you love about doing improv? The freedom. Hanging with the boys. We are pals. If you could select one comedian to serve as President of the United States, who would it be and why? Al Franken. Because he is an informed, intelligent humanist. Margaret Cho as VP. Lewis Black as Secretary of State. Dave Chappelle as Secretary of Defense. George Carlin as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Scott Thompson from Kids in the Hall as first Ladyman. And Bill Hicks as spiritual advisor. Then you got Pro-Choice Jews, Asians, Queers and troublemaking dope smoking Black people running the show. the way the Lord really wants. The Lord called me and told me he is tired of over-entitled, corporate lapdog, white guys.
Irreverent
Comedy for the Ethically Challenged When Joe Orton's macabre comedy Loot first premiered on the British stage in 1965, its cynical mockery of family values, Catholicism, corrupt police officers and the mishandling of a corpse scandalized audiences. With the passage of time, however, much of the shock value has worn away, replaced with an acerbic cheekiness that's leaving audiences at the Lord Leebrick Theatre laughing.
The staging takes place on a tastefully decorated set that serves as both sitting room and bedroom. Prominently displayed at the center of everything is a casket containing the embalmed remains of the late Mrs. McLeavy. On the day of the funeral, Nurse Fay, prim and proper in her crisp white nurse's uniform, helps Mr. McLeavy prepare for the funeral. Fay, who harbors a dubious past that involves the unfortunate deaths of seven former husbands, has her sights set on making her late patient's husband number eight. Meanwhile, prior to the funeral, McLeavy's son, Hal, and his unsavory mate, Dennis, robbed a local bank and hastily stashed the cash in Hal's mother's wardrobe. With a bungling inspector cunningly disguised as a man from the water board snooping around and asking questions, the lads decide to hide the loot in the coffin. But to make room for it, they must put Hal's mother's body in the wardrobe, which sets off a hilarious chain of outrageous mishaps. In this tangled web of corruption and deceit, everything is turned upside down. Nobody is who they seem, and the bad guys come out on top. The interesting element in Orton's plays is that no matter how absurd the situation, the actors play it straight, behaving as though their dialogue and actions aren't unusual or particularly funny. Director Michael P. Watkins has assembled a cast that manages to pull it off. Don Aday, with his dapper, distinguished air and polite sensibility makes a splendid Mr. McLeavy. As the grieving husband and only law-abiding citizen in this ethically challenged crowd, Aday receives support and sympathy from the audience, but also gets to toss off a few barbs of his own. Daniel Tuch puts in a fine performance as Hal, effortlessly transitioning between the good Catholic son who cannot tell a lie and the gleefully greedy crook. Likewise, Ben Saunders is great as the charming thief Dennis. Melanie Harmon is terrific as the manipulative and deadly Florence Nightingale, Fay. Harmon's talent lies in her ability to project the multifaceted personality of her character: One minute the picture of innocence; the next, a venomous spider lady. Logan Hall doesn't get much stage time, but he makes the most of it as the comical Constable Meadows. Dan Pegoda, however, puts in the standout performance in this production in his role as the bumbling Inspector Truscott. Pegoda completely steals the show with his unexpected, exaggerated affectations and excellent timing and delivery. With its out-of-the-ordinary premise, Loot may not be for everybody, but for those who don't mind a corpse or a loose eyeball or two, the play runs through June 11. Log on to www.lordleebrick.comor call 465-1506 for ticket information.
Oh,
Pioneers
If you happen by the northwest corner of the Pioneer Cemetery on the UO campus around 8:30 pm on May 27 or 28, you'll witness an unusual sight. Tucked in behind the Knight Library, with the droning outtake fans from mammoth Gerlinger Annex whirring faintly and birds twittering away, scads of young women will dance. The UO Dance Department MFA candidate Dominique Chartrand is presenting her thesis, cryptically entitled: "A recherche de je ne sais quoi! In search of!" I recently attended a rehearsal of the first portion of Chartrand's evening length work, "Underneath," after the choreographer assured me they would practice even in the pouring rain. From her perch on a snarled log, Chartrand told me the dance is a "scanning piece" with no clearly defined sightlines, and she encouraged me to stand or sit where I liked. During a merciful sun break, I enjoyed taking in the ritual-like qualities of the movement. "Underneath" begins with a bell, shaker and a voice provided by Ariana Storm. With twisting, pacing and shifts in focus, 18 women in white silky dresses shimmy behind trees, execute level changes in the dewy grass, and use the outdoor space's many obstructions as balancing beams and pathways. Chartrand balances pedestrian movement with stylized presentation, developing the piece into a series of bends, turns and changes of weight. The effect, as motifs flit from dancer to dancer, is at once distancing and connective. Blithe spirits? Ghosts? See what you will, but in the candlelit dusk, the piece pledges illumination. Tickets for the full recital cost $5, available in Gerlinger Annex starting at 7:30 pm. Doors open at 8 pm. It's a party-hopping weekend for dance. Stop by to honor recent Guggenheim Fellowship recipient Alito Alessi at 5 pm on May 26 at DIVA, 110 W. Broadway. Celebrate, nosh some hors d'oeuvres and enjoy Brazilian guitar by Edson Oliveira. Cruise over to the Tango Center, 194 W. Broadway, for evening classes and a Saturday night performance with master teachers Carlos and Maria Rivarola. From 7 - 10 pm on June 2 and 3, there's a fundraiser for Dance Theater of Oregon in Studio One, Hult Center. Tickets, $25, include appetizers, entertainment and fine wines available at "cabaret prices." DTO's fine-vintage friends include Sparky Roberts, Mitch Heider, Pamela Lehan-Siegel, Marc Siegel, Lauren Madden, Jeremy Wierenga, Sarah Weinheimer, Peggy Soomil, Denise Ayers, Monica Weinheimer, Alito Alessi, Emery Blackwell, Le Bop Hot Quartet and Robert Ashens.
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