One might say that's an awkward way to begin this post, but "awkward" is the name of the game for us. It's IN the title, for fuck's sake. So, yeah, show three.
The show feels like a well-oiled machine at this point. That should bode well for the fourth show, which is closing night. So, COME OUT AND SEE THE SHOW NEXT FRIDAY, OR YOU'RE SHIT OUT OF LUCK!
The actors met at 7:30 to run through lines, and I showed up about 8:30 to hang out with them as they prepare. I like seeing this process, but it dawned on me that maybe it's kind of creepy.
I think maybe I do it because I've acted with half the cast before: Michelle, Sam, and David. All three are very great people to have around when you want to expel nervous energy. Even as a writer, I feel nervous energy before a show. I know that the actors will portray the words and the scene in the best way possible, but if the jokes fall flat or the scene fundamentally isn't funny, it's on me as a writer. I still think that way before every show, it makes me nervous, and spending time with the actors before they go on helps to quell that anxiety. Thanks, thespians.
The actors began to do a very cool thing before the show as a warm-up. They were in a circle, and began to pass a ball around and whoever had the ball had to say something positive about the others in the circle. Unfortunately, it had to be truncated to the person with the ball saying something nice about the person from whom they received the ball. (This exercise began five minutes before show time.) Nevertheless, this was a very cool exercise before going on.
On that note, I think I'll take a break from listing my highlights from last night's show. If I had the ball in my hand and had to look around the room at the people who've been a part of this process, I would say:
Michelle: I've had the pleasure of seeing you bring life to characters that I've written, and I've also had the privilege of sharing the stage with you. You bring physicality and depth to roles and scenes that could easily fall flat as boring conversations. Anybody can look like a good actor with you on stage because you initiate with your fellow actors in a way that is convincing and seamless. I will always laugh whenever I hear a Melissa Etheridge song because of you.
Detroit Angie: You are a dynamo of funny scene ideas, and you also have the skill to actually turn funny ideas into funny scenes. (Hey, that's easier said than done.) Your dedication to the group is an inspiration to us all, and you're an awesome friend to boot. You've written funny conventional scenes, and you've come up with some asinine stuff that has left us with our sides hurting. And, of course, you're just another example of why Detroit is awesome.
Andy: In a sketch show you still improvise in discreet ways that don't overshadow the scene but add to it and make it slightly different each week -- e.g. the antics with the baby in "Real Version," the tie rolling out of your mouth as vomit (or a tongue?) in Wild Wild West, and the awesome whiteboy dancing in The Big Dance. Also, the different voices really inform and change your characters.
Benhur: It's not fair that you have such a wide comedic range. In both of our shows, you've consistently produced some of our strongest sketches, and they have been incredibly varied in their content. If I keep heaping praise on you, people may think I have a crush on you, so I'll stop.
Brigid: You are a force of nature. It's been informative watching the energy that you bring to the stage every week. Selfishly, I cannot thank you enough for injecting life into my sketch. When I wrote the sketch, I was worried that Gloria's character was garnish. But you're never garnish, and you made the entire scene better as result.
Dan: A great friend, a funny and talented writer, and a seriously awesome actor. Because of these varied talents, you made class fun in two ways -- you'd write a funny sketch, and then we'd get to see you act in several sketches each week and kill it. You are a magician at writing date scenes that go horribly wrong and scenes that lampoon self important dickheads. And, of course, you gave us writers the phrase, "Jeezers Peezers."
Sam: You go after your roles with passion. It shows in how freakishly fast you get off book and in how you dissect your contribution to the scene afterwards. You also have a very broad range as an actor: a superhero, a Zorro-esque Lothario, a folksy farm boy with delusions of grandeur, an oversexed husband losing his shit at a wedding, and a cross-dressing teenage boy from the upper crust. But damn it all if you aren't funnier off stage.
Mark: You are a sick and depraved talentless hack. Give $50 to a hooker, lose your virginity, and move on. That is all.
Janna: You really do become your characters. Because of that, you deliver your lines in a very seamless and convincing way. Case in point: the object work that you do in Wild Wild West. In that scene, you keep your self busy with the business of the scene even when the action is elsewhere on stage. And then there is the motherly muttering that you do doing Original Jewish Mother, classic.
Laura: Two of our strongest sketches and yet you had at least three other submissions that easily could have been staged for this show. Not fair. I am especially envious of your ability to take incidents from your life and meld them into funny sketches. Yeah, you're alright for a University of Chicago egghead. No comment on your college football allegiance.
David: I'm so happy you're part of this show, and I miss being on stage with you. I was always impressed with your skill as an improviser, and you've nailed the sketch thang as well. The research and hard work you put into your roles shows, especially in the Alien Hand. I hope the future holds more opportunities for us to make funny together.
Brian: It's been fun getting to know you over the past several months. I still think that Anointing of the Sickos needs to be staged somewhere. Afterwards, we can have the best excommunication party ever! Seriously, you have a rare gift of being able to go to opposite ends of the innocence/offensive continuum. I envy that, and you made the show better as a result.
Joe: Yeah, the Big Cheese. Suppose I gotta play nice, or you'll blacklist me and I'll never be considered funny in the Great Lakes watershed ever again, right? Your vision as a director elevated our show, and taught us all so much through osmosis. You love your job, and I especially envy you for that. You made wonderful suggestions to our writing throughout this process, and you provided the necessary pat on the back when needed.
Shane: Our Bro-mance is long documented. I'll withhold further comment to as to avoid any speculation regarding the true nature of our friendship. I don't think our fans in Russia (or our wives) would be ready for that revelation.
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Pre-Show Footage:
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| Family Sing-A-Long |
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| The Guitar Man |
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| Andy |
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| Sam |
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| Family Sing-A-Long #2 |
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| Brigid & David -- Takin' it to Church |
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| Git Down! |
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| Programs. Duh. |
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| Men. Participating in Ball Play. |
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| He gets a shave with a straight razor before every show. |
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