Newspaper Page Text
Southern Voice/October 11, 1990
19
COUNTERCULTURE
Matters Worth Laughing At
Atlanta's new lesbian and gay comedy improv group is non-stop fun
by Treble Yell
Besides a nice fresh orgasm or a
check in the mail, nothing feels as good
as having a few laughs. Think back to the
best ketchup accident you ever saw.
Makes you chuckle even now, huh. That
spontaneous stuff really gets me—like
when me and Gleena put clothes on the
dogs. Go ahead and call me absurd, but I
challenge anybody in town to stand face
to face with a Collie in a ski mask and
not crack a smile. To tell the truth, it's
hard to not crack a smile at anyone in a
ski mask unless, of course, you are an
on-duty bank teller or convenience store
clerk.
Have you come up short in the laugh
department lately? Would you like to
improve the flexibility and expansion of
your ribcage? Sure you would. For a
hundred fifty bucks, you could visit my
friend Mistress Towanda and play "rack
of lamb." Or, then again, you could go
see the newly formed lesbian and gay
comedy improv group, Funny That Way.
They have been performing regularly at
the Court Bar and Grill in downtown
Decatur, and honey, if that crew can't
drag a laugh out of you, I'll eat my rub
ber vomit.
Improv is the rugby of acting. The
game is non-stop, think on your feet, and
get yardage anyway you can. Audiences
generally have a lot of fun because they
get to participate by choosing the cir
cumstances of scenarios or by actual
hands-on stage appearances. (Now YOU
too can work in an actor's world.)
Crucial to the success of the whole thing
is the director, emcee, ringleader or what
have you. This person keeps the ball
rolling by engaging their (hopefully)
charismatic and witty self to buddy up to
the audience, crack jokes if the scene is
lead balloon like, and give the signal to
the guy in the back to hit the lights,
quick.
The night I saw Funny That Way, Deb
Calabria executed this role with great
skill and style. She has many years expe
rience with improv, and it shows. Not to
mention, she is a very talented comedian.
I watched the audience a lot, and saw
people loosen up and play, partly because
Deb reduced that tension or separateness
an audience often feels with its perform
ers. For example, she called for the audi
ence to name a place and a type of rela
tionship for the two actors designated to
play out in style representative of various
film directors. The end result was two
sex slaves in an outhouse doing Disney
to Fellini to Hitchcock. Yes, ol' Victor
Tamayo and Denise Haskins—the actors
who tore this scene up—will remain in
my dreams and nightmares for months to
come. One doesn't easily forget Mickey
and Minnie Mouse engaged in S & M.
Thanks guys, and way to go, my home-
girl Deb.
All the players were funny; their
names are Jon Goldman, Mark Cox,
Julian Helms, Gaffney Jarrell, Gale
Reter, Victor Tamayo and Kent Wilson.
(Miriam Carrol, Lenny Lassiter and Tim
Kevin do guest spots from time to time.)
Along with Deb, Victor, and Denise, I
remember Jon and Mark from recent the
atrical productions produced by SAME
which promotes among other things, our
gay and lesbian lifestyles. Hint, hint,
these are good people to give a little
attention to in the form of GO SEE 'EM.
Up until now, Funny That Way has
been performing free at this Court Bar
and Grill which is, by the way, a nice
room that is not too smoky or stuffy
when packed. The hired help is friendly,
too. The bartender told me where the
coffee cups were in the kitchen and how
to make the coffee. I like a place that
lets you make your own drinks. Don't
worry, I think I dressed kind of like a
busperson that night, and had that truck- ,
stop kitchen cologne on too. As I was
saying before I rudely interrupted
myself, the group has done shows over at
Gene and Gabe's Upstairs too as well as
regular appearances at the Court.
I know it is sometimes hard to drag
yourself out to nightclubs, but if you’d
only allow willingness to WAFT into
your higher self, maybe yo’ dead ass will
drive you to go see these "regular riots."
If not, please do not leave your pets unat
tended in ski masks or other clothing.
Funny That Way will appear at The
Court Barr and Grill, 114 E.Trinity
Place, in Decatur at 10pm on Saturday
October 13. $3 cover charge.
Sheila Broughton
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