Wilshire Theatre Dick Capri is one of
the three original comedians who will be
performing in "Catskills on Broadway," which is opening tonight
and runs through May 13 at the Wilshire Theatre in Beverly
Hills.
By Barbara McGuire
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Looking at a map, the Catskills appear to be simply a mountain
range located in upstate New York. Seen through the perspective of
Catskillian comedians, however, these mountains bring back memories
of a time when their type of comedy was the only entertainment to
be found in the hotels spanning the range.
In an attempt to keep the comedy of the Catskills alive, as well
as provide an outlet for both comedians and audience members to
reminisce about entertainment in the mountains, Freddie Roman
created “Catskills on Broadway” in 1991. Combined in
one free-form show are the acts of four different Catskillian
comedians. Opening at the Wilshire Theatre tonight and showing
through May 13, the laugh-packed performance is revisiting Los
Angeles for the first time in nearly a decade.
“My career started up in the Catskill Mountains; I was
there for many years before I went to other parts of the business
like Las Vegas and Atlantic City and I just loved the history of
the Catskills, the fact that so many of America’s greatest
comedians started up there,” Roman said in a phone interview
from his home in New Jersey.
Although some of the show’s content has been changed over
time, “Catskills on Broadway” is basically returning to
the stage unaltered. Three of the original comedians, Roman, Dick
Capri and Mal Z. Lawrence, are returning to the show. Even the
newest addition, Scott Record, is connected to the original
show.
“Freddie Roman … has asked me to be in every cast and I
just haven’t been able to because when they first came out
with it on Broadway I had just moved here to Los Angeles three
weeks before,” Record said. “But, now it’s
time.”
Roman said that each of the four comedians performing bring a
different, unmistakable flavor to the show, raising the level of
comedy, which has actually prompted fans to write the comedians
letters telling them that they left the theater in pain from
laughing so much. Roman credits their amazing popularity, which
kept them on Broadway with sold-out shows for 14 months, to the
brand of comedy Catskillian comedians deliver.
“Today’s comedy is a different ball game because
most of the younger comedians come out of the comedy clubs catering
to a very young audience, whereas our comedy, we deal with young,
medium and elder,” he said. “We had to come up with
material that was universally accepted by all age
groups.”
While Roman and Capri both said that they look to their personal
life, as well as popular topics in the media, for comedic
inspiration, Record actually performs a variety of impressions
ranging from singing to voice-overs. Record said that none of the
comedians’ content springs from anger, a recent trend he has
seen in comedy clubs.
“Even just 20 years ago, the structure was
post-vaudevillian, Catskillian in the pre-historic times of comedy,
and there were actually jokes. There was a set-up and it was funny
and witty and you’d laugh,” he said. “Whereas
maybe today, it’s a little more like rage. People are on
rants and they’re angry.
“Those are all the elements of today’s comedy and
there’s people that do that that make me laugh, but I really
do like the Catskills way,” he continued.
Regardless of what format the comedy comes in, Capri felt that
making people laugh is something that will always be important.
“It’s a great outfit, especially today when
there’s the stock market and all the turmoil with
China,” he said. “There’s so many bad things
going on around us, that we need comedy to cheer us up a bit. Even
Presidents rely on comedy. Look at Reagan ““ comedy will bail
you out.”
Roman agreed with Capri, and said that in general, no matter
what kind of bad mood people are in, whether they are cranky or
frustrated, they still love to laugh. Describing comedy as the
perfect antidote to a grumpy attitude, Roman said laughter just has
a natural way of making people feel better.
Despite the fact that “Catskills on Broadway”
contains a brand of comedy that college students may not be
familiar with, by using laughter as their language, these comedians
believe that they can make anyone laugh, regardless of age.
“I know that college kids go to flea markets and they like
to look for old stuff, so coming to “˜Catskills on
Broadway’ is like going to a flea market for comedy. You
might find a beautiful gem there, something that’s been
overlooked,” Record said.
COMEDY: “Catskills on Broadway”
opens tonight and shows through May 13 at the Wilshire Theatre,
8440 Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills. Performances are Tuesday
through Saturday at 8 p.m., Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. and
Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices range from $27 to $52 and can be
purchased at any Ticketmaster outlet by calling (213) 365-3500, or
on the Web at www.ticketmaster.com.