Groundlings know how to party

The wacky bunch is famous for its talented members and outrageous skits

By JOSEPH BOO
Staff writer

The coming of the new millennium means only two things: you can worry about the future or have a ball at its expense. So go with the Groundlings for the year 1999. Besides the coming millennium, the Groundlings also have a 25th anniversary to celebrate, and do it in style with their show, "Groundling Like It's 1999."

The Groundlings, for those unfamiliar with the comedy theater, is the hottest comedy troupe in the nation right now. Boasting notable alumnis like Phil Hartman, Jon Lovitz, Lisa Kudrow and Pee Wee Herman, the Groundlings is now the primary bush league for Saturday Night Live cast members. Chris Kattan, Will Ferrell, Ana Gasteyer and Cheri Oteri are all SNL cast members who are still members of the Groundlings. And if you really want to know, the Roxbury guys and the overzealous cheerleaders are from Groundlings skits.

Hence, the 25th year is a crucial one for the Groundlings. After quickly building up an impressive history, it rivals, or even surpassed Chicago's Second City troupe as the premiere source for comedic talent. It's a lot of pressure, but the talented actors are able to live up to expectations.

The most promising is Brian Palermo. The tall, lanky actor has a huge reservoir of comic energy in his unassuming body. This makes him valuable as both the clown and the straight man. The "Acting Out" skit, where Palermo's character refuses to believe he is compared to bad actors, is explosive. He is just as adept as the straight man in "Nutritionist," where he is trying to tell a mother to stop feeding her fat daughter. He gamely lets the other principles, Jennifer Coolidge and John Crane, yuk it up, all the while he's in on the joke.

The other male actors, Crane and Michael LaPreta are hilarious as well. Crane has an unassuming, but campy sense of humor, most notably in the "Rita's New Flame" skit as a seemingly gay straight man. He also sings during the first piece of the night, a "Placido Domingo" impression.

LaPreta is another lanky clown, although short, and is the most energetic one in the cast.

Unfortunately, the actresses in the skits aren't as remarkable. Holly Mandel and Maggie Baird do a decent job of assuming the persona of the middle-aged neurotic. The most peculiar of the actresses is Coolidge, an extremely tall blond who can lay down a heavy European accent. While not the acting tour-de-force as Mandel or Baird, Coolidge turns in two inspired performances as the fat girl in the "Nutritionist" skit and impersonates Janis Joplin in "The Audition."

As for the promises of the skits, don't expect any more to reach SNL. The skits are wildly inconsistent. The ones Mandel wrote, especially "Hate Crime" and "Don't Cry for Me," are gritty and even avant garde in a sense. The funniest skit is "Message to My Girl," an absolutely mean, but wildly hilarious bit. And as usual, all the skits end abruptly, not always with a joke or even a climax, so it can be quite jarring.

Finally, a note on the improv, which the Groundlings popularized (the short-form at least). The first one of the night was the best. The male actors did a clever run-through of the alphabet exercise, where each member has to start the next line with the next letter of the alphabet. Another party game that was performed by the girls didn't fare as well because the concepts, among them a tubberware party, were too unwieldy to do anything with. The last improv simply didn't get off the ground. Like all short-form improv, it's hit or miss, but the unpredictability makes everything funnier.

With all the fame the Groundlings have, it is natural to go through a slight transition. The cast and humor of "Groundlings Like It's 1999" might lack some focus, but there are more than its share of hilarious moments. While the times change, the laughter stays the same, and the Groundlings are more than game for the future.

The Groundlings performances are Fridays 8 p.m. and Saturdays 8 and 10 p.m.
The Groundling Theatre is located at 7303 Melrose Avenue, in Los Angeles. Tickets are $17.50. For more information, call (323) 934-4747

Copyright 1999 by the Daily Trojan. All rights reserved.
This article was published in Vol. 136, No. 42 (Monday, March 29, 1999), beginning on page 7 and ending on page 10.