Groundlings turns 25 with laughter

New and old combine in new show playing at the Groundlings Theatre

By JENNIFER MEDINA
Staff Writer

With lewd jokes, facial contortions and crazy improvisational skits, The Ground-lings are celebrating their 25th anniversary with more laughs than anything on ABC's T.G.I.F. television.

"Groundlings 25 to Life" hits the audience with sketch comedy skits that rely on classic characters and impersonations of teen favorites such as Britney Spears. The balance between the old and the new is exactly what the group needs to show fans it can move into the future without forgetting its history.

The two-hour show is sure to please college students, with references to writing classes, guidance counselors and even USC students themselves.

Beginning on a high note, the opener featured comedian Har-mon Whitford, a cruise ship musician who performs a few "ditties" about the places in the world he has visited since embarking on the SS Dolphin.

The musician is sure to strike a high and hilarious chord with anyone that has set foot on a luxury cruise ship. Whitford, portrayed by Groundlings regular Brian Palermo, gives his own interpretation of China when he remarks that all college-age citizens come to USC.

While the audience is still catching its breath from laughing at Palermo, Holly Mandel takes the stage as a non-traditional college student enrolled in a Glendale Community College creative writing class. As her hand shoots up to answer every question, Mandel does a hilarious job of mocking every Writing 140 student's worst nightmare.

The audience members can hardly contain themselves when Mandel, complete with a too-short wig and a ragged Mighty Ducks sweatshirt, makes a pass at the thirty something, married-with-children student next to her.

The first two sketches should set the tone for the rest of the evening, but the skits get shorter and leave the audience craving longer laughs. While nearly every joke and gesture make people laugh out loud, the brief two-minute acts are too short to get the point across.

To close the first act, Mandel and Kevin Ruf give the audience a "behind the scenes" look at the Donny & Marie Show. With profanities peppering the off-camera language of the goody-two-shoes hosts, the skit has the audience roaring. Rather than taking it beyond the swear words and superficial mocking, Mandel and Ruf end the skit by scaring away a guest before he even has a chance to speak. The skit is nothing more than a quick and cheap tease.

With an intimate audience of 99, the Groundlings had the option of getting to the core of every member. But in a effort to provide constant laughs, they sell the audience short.

Showcasing their skills at improvisation highlighted the evening. With audience participation, Groundlings troupe members take random settings, emotions, words and even numbers to create a handful of improvisations that make the audience roar. As the audience learns the personality of the actors, and vice-versa, the improvisations only get better as the night goes on.

The night ended as well as it began, with three troupe members doing their version of "The Sound of Divorce," a musical created on the spot by an eager member of the audience. With nothing more than a title, the trio created a harmonious song and spouted off lyrics as if they had been practicing for weeks.

With 20 creative skits, The Groundlings strike the funny bone with a balance between run-of-the-mill romantic comedies and deep cult-classic-wanna-be plays.

"Groundlings 25 to Life" plays until Oct. 8 at The Groundling Theatre at 7307 Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood. Tickets are $17.50 and can be purchased at the box office or by calling (323) 934-9700.

Copyright 1999 by the Daily Trojan. All rights reserved.
This article was published in Vol. 138, No. 24 (Monday, October 4, 1999), beginning on page 9 and ending on page 10.