Transcribed from the Pittsburgh Tribune Review from 08/18/06 and 08/19/06.

Joker's Wild

Group's silly side project turns into some serious comedy

By Andrew Johnson
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Saturday, August 19, 2006

An anthropomorphic giant cat and ninjas.
What else would you want in a live show?

Underground theater is alive and well in this shrinking city, as evidenced by a group of mostly University of Pittsburgh alumni who have been circulating a cryptic pamphlet titled "The Official Hodgepodge Society." The comedy group's "The Hodgepodge Society Ball!!!" debuted last Saturday and will take the stage again at 8 p.m. today in a Garfield art gallery.

That a shoestring side project has had the modest success it has -- now seven months old, with six original scripted shows -- has been a surprise to even its two co-writers, Joe Lyons, 27, of the North Side, and Robert Isenberg, 26, of Lawrenceville.

The show, which features the follies of two pompous buffoons who chair a societal organization devoted to "Humor," first took the stage in February, at ASHGalleries, in Lawrenceville. Thirty-five people showed up. Isenberg said there was room for only 30. "It was shocking," he said.

Lyons said he was equally surprised because he remembered thinking at the time, "We don't even know if this is funny."

The show started with just Lyons and Isenberg, but it now includes Bernadette Ulsamer, 25, and Brad Keller, 28, a married couple from the South Side; Laurie Bolewitz, 21, a Duquesne University senior; Josh Futrell, 27, of Lawrenceville; and Brad Stephenson, 28, of Morningside.

None has a full-time theater gig. Most work office jobs. The show is just one of the ways these actors keep their hands in the underground non-Cultural District theater scene that takes place in the East End.

As for this show, Lyons calls it "Marx Brothers" inspired, while Isenberg labels it, "'The Muppet Show' meets the Masonic Order."

There is no real point in describing the "plot" of the sketch-based "Society Ball," much in the same way that "The Naked Gun" movie plots are unimportant.

The bits work. They include Keller playing a ninja and a man desperately looking for an orgy; Lyons addressing the "zombie problem" in Pittsburgh (Isenberg's character's suggestion: "No more zombies on East Carson Street, or let's try to keep them all there"); and tips on how to throw a "furry" party. A side note: "furry" fans -- lovers of all things hairy and anthropomorphic -- might want to skip the show, unless they don't mind being the butt of endless jokes.

Stephenson gets serious laughs in his giant cat suit, as well as playing a pasty, weasly, bloated villain, with preposterous B-movie bad-guy facial hair. His character's name is Lt. Bradley Percival Hanes Stephenson. His malevolent Mishmash Society is locked in an age-old battle with the Hodgepodge group (think Cobra taking aim at G.I. Joe).

Many just are glad to be doing stage work, even if it is off-off-off-off-Broadway.

"It's really hard to do this in a bigger city," said Isenberg, about a small show, because of competition among many more artists, lack of art space and the need to make more money.

This kind of show is rare, Lyons said, in that there are few opportunities for comedy.

Futrell said he has gone to Friday Nite Improvs at the Cathedral of Learning on Pitt's campus before. Other than that, few well-known groups are on the Pittsburgh scene, other than The Amish Monkeys. There are two places to regularly see stand-up comedy -- the Improv and the The Funny Bone -- which mostly bring in out-of-town talent.

"We moved back to Pittsburgh because we wanted to contribute to the arts scene here," said Stephenson, a West Virginia native who did stand-up in New York, before moving back to the region three years ago.

Jennifer Quinio owns the ModernFormations art gallery. Quinio, 30, said this is only the second time she has hosted actors in her space.

When will it be curtains for the "Hodgepodge" group?

"When significant others go ...," said Futrell, tapping at a fictional wrist watch, mimicking a boyfriend or girlfriend pulling rank.

Andrew Johnson can be reached at ajohnson@tribweb.com or 412-380-5632.

 

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