Comicality Q&A: An Interview with Director Jerry Becker
The Hartford Players' Award-Winning Musical Revue Returns to the Schauer for its Fourth Year
Q: Congratulations on your fourth year of Comicality! How did you come up with the idea for this show back in 2015?
A: Thank you! We were searching for something completely new for our Schauer Center audience - something that would be both exciting and audience-interactive. Then, I saw a video of Kristin Chenowith singing “Taylor, The Latte Boy”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXS0nEOx_20 , and realized that there was a whole new world of musical comedy that had not yet splashed down in Hartford.
Q: For people who haven’t been yet, can you explain what Comicality is?
A: Comicality is a musical comedy cabaret - completely new each year in Hartford - that plucks the best fruit from the comedy tree and brings it to the Schauer table. Every five minutes a new song, a new singer, a new style, a new comedy routine. The laugh-out-loud funny, the quirky, the “aw, shucks!’ in songs and comedy bits, harvested from the the “‘20s” through the “almost the next 20s” of today.
Q: We hear from our patrons that the show gets better every year…how do you choose your material?
A: We absolutely LOVE to hear that, because it’s all audience inspired. As we perform, our audiences teach us, and we grow every year with what we have learned from them. As we hear what “lands” with the audience and tickles the Hartford Funny Bone, we learn where to go foraging in the next comedy forest.
Q: How do you keep it fresh and fun every year?
A: Everytime we think we’ve emptied the cabinet, we find something new and fresh. And, remember, we also write our own new material that is completely home-grown. For instance, a few years ago we dedicated our Hartford re-do of Barry Manilow’s “Copacabana” to WTKM - as “Polka-cabana”! And we specialize in bipartisan humor, so the daily news is a wellspring of wackiness. In short, it’s a bottomless pit of frenetic funniness.
Q: What piece are you most excited for in Comicality 2019? What was your favorite from years past?
A: Each year, a dark horse jumps out of the shadows and unexpectedly wins the race. “Sell ‘em To The Gypsies” and “Badder Than You” jumped to the front of the pack in past years, and the hilarious little girl parodies sung by Emily Kittel have left the audiences rolling in the aisles. Kate Sarner (formerly with Broadway touring companies) singing “Empathy”, Matthew Beier and Kate doing 2017’s “Temp and the Receptionist” at the Footlights Awards, Ethan Tarvin singing 2018’s “Wall Lovin’”. It’s so great to have our shows get invited to reprise our performances for regional awards shows. It’s a credit to our great community! For this year...dare I give it away?...”Vodka” with Bette Von Gunten, and “Where Are My Keys?” with Ellen Winters (Shepherd’s Express 2018 Jazz Artist of the Year) But don’t tell anybody that I told you...
Q: Tell us about the cast. How did you find all the talent?
A: One of the best kept secrets in Hartford (and the surrounding area) is the number of highly talented musicians living incognito under the Federal “Comedy Protection Program”. They are your butcher, your hairdresser, your lawyer, your child’s teacher - all around you and yearning to be set free to create uncontrollable laughter. Honestly, we spot them when they accidentally blow their cover by singing in the supermarket dairy aisle…. Then, we have them set free in their natural theatrical setting and let the sparks fly...
- Bette Von Gunten - “Scotch and Soda” - a convivial Hartford comedic cocktail
- Tess Tranel - A Hartford Players ingenue from “Fiddler on the Roof” and now the choir director at West Bend High School
- Matthew Beier - Matt has been with the show from the first season and is a registered nurse at Children’s Hospital of WI
- Amelia Scheit - a vocal powerhouse of theatrical humor
- Ellen Winters Reynolds - 2018 Shepherd’s Express Jazz Artist of the Year
- Emily Kittel - the most self-confident comedy entertainer I’ve ever seen set foot on stage
- Ethan Tarvin - you’ve heard his name - you’ll love his voice!
- David Pecsi - one funny cat!!
- The Band: Julie Johnson (piano), Tim Dondlinger (bass), Paul Lehner (guitar), Jerry Becker (keys and stunt percussion), Ken Marchand (drums), Matthew Mekeever (trumpet), and Stephanie Sundberg (trumpet)
Q: In 5 words or less, describe Comicality 2019
A: LISTEN, LAUGH, sip, swallow, repeat...
For tickets to Comicality 2019:
Fri & Sat, January 25-26 at 8:00 pm (bar opens at 7:00 pm)
Fri, February 1 at 8:00 pm (bar opens at 7:00 pm)
Sat, February 2 at 2:00 pm (bar opens at 1:00 pm)