Have you ever wondered about the relationship between love and sports; if the rules of the game and the rules of love are similar? There are many philosophical sayings that lead credence to their similarities. For example:
· Love is like a soccer ball, it is black and white, either you love me or you don’t.
- You can either teach or coach me, but you have to defend me if you love me
- Love me for what I am and not for what I become if my team wins
I think everyone would agree that a relationship, either on a team or with a significant other, has boundaries, rules, nuances, angles, degrees and risks, and that landing on either side of which, could leave you with a victory, or send you down the lonely path of defeat.
And so too it is with a Bit Players show. Much like in a sporting event, a player may either take a risk and be rewarded with audience approval, or take an ill-advised angle on a topic and then crash and burn in flames to the dismay of the audience. I would say, and I would bet the crowds this weekend would agree, that for the Bit Players and both their shows this weekend, they were riding high in the WIN column.
On Friday, “Story, Story, Die” was by far the best I’ve ever witnessed. Instead of attempting to capture it in words, I’ll let you be the judge of its merits. Watch the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_BUDd8SVNE&feature=plcp
One clever audience member submitted the suggestion of a name and occupation for an “Irish Drinking Song”. The cheesy suggestion of Patty, who makes patio furniture was accepted by, the Bit Players, namely Matt Lindman, Neal Leaheey, Dylan Eberle, and Stephanie Conrad, who took the proverbial ball and ran with it.
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| Vlad and John in "Location, Career, Death" |
“Location Career Death” performed by John Mulligan and Vlad Tenenbaum, is a bit where Vlad must convey all of the suggestions of a location, and occupation, and an object to John only through the means of mine. As John thinks he knows each, he claps and Vlad moves to the next item. When John gets to the object, he must “kill” Vlad with it. In this zany game the audience provided some clever suggestions of Wizarding School, a murdering barber, and a fire extinguisher.
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| Matt sings in "Bartender" |
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| John sings in "Bartender" |
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| Neal sings in "Bartender" |
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| Dylan sings in "Bartender" |
No matter what your political affiliation, you had to admit that “Radio Show” entitled “Mitt Romney Goes to a Gay Pride Parade” was a hit with the audience. Words cannot do justice or capture all the wacky characters in this scene. Take a listen for yourself: Click here ->: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcIFw-xwoMM&feature=youtu.be)
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| The Bit Players perform "Doo Wop" |
In the second set of Friday’s performance, “Doo Wop” about a Swiffer Mop, performed by the entire cast and accompanied by our musicians Chase Ceglie and Devon Mello was a triumph. Each player professed their love for this household marvel until Dylan turned the tables, and replaced the Swiffer with an illegal immigrant maid.
On Saturday we had lots of people celebrating with The Bit Players. And as life often represents art, appropriately, we had an entire sports team and several representatives of love and relationships being recognized tonight.
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| Clayon, Lobo, and Dylan in "Good Cop / Bad Cop" |
“Good Cop / Bad Cop” had the audience on the edge of their seats. Clayon McFarlane and Dylan Eberle portrayed the cops and Lobo Linhares was the notorious perpetrator who had to confess to the crime (with a wee bit of prodding by his jailors) of killing Wayne Johnson (The Rock), with a Nintendo-64, at a Starbucks.
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| Brittany and Matt perform in "Shakespeare Alphabet" |
“Shakespeare Alphabet” was a quirky favorite of the night with Matt Lindman and Brittany Hunt playing Father and Daughter in a Shakespearean scene. The rules of the bit are that the actors must speak in dialog beginning with the next consecutive letter of the alphabet. This scene which took place in a Taco Bell about a “forbidden love” had everyone totting up the letters and laughing at Matt and Brittany’s slightly disturbing antics.
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| Tim, Stephanie, and Dylan in "Epic Poem" |
Frank and Kathy, an auto mechanic and florist in the audience and celebrating their 60th birthdays with the Bit Players were compensated on their special days with an “Epic Poem”. This bit performed for them by Dylan, Stephanie Conrad, and Tim Bric, was appropriately titled “The Day They Painted by Numbers” since Frank admitted he had dreamed of one day being an accountant, and Kathy’s dream was to have been an artist.
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| Lobo (with The Bit Players) "Serenade" bachelorette, Lexa |
Beautiful Lexa, a bachelorette celebrating her upcoming nuptials on September 26th to fiancée, Charles, was asked to the stage (to the gratitude of the boys in the front row …more about them later) to be “Serenaded” by The Bit Players in recognition of the momentous occasion. Lexa, a publisher of Teen books, and Charles, a filmmaker from Brooklyn, NY were the inspiration for a song composed on the spot, all about them.
In the second set, Brittany and Tim took on “Ding”. In this scene taking place in Hell, we see our actors traversing the desolate landscape of hell trying to escape it’s confines, put there on a technicality of killing an old woman, but… not really… As Tim saw it, the woman was really old anyway, and she liked the Yankees. After all, people who like the Yankees have weak constitutions… so it really wasn’t their fault after all???
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| Tim, Matt, and Dylan in "Doo Run" |
More love was in the house with Bachelorette Brenna who was celebrating her upcoming marriage to her beau, Airforce airman, Matt with her friends who described Brenna as “hot and funny”. Brenna described her friends as “disagreeable and delightful”. Brenna was honored by The Bit Players with a “Doo Run” song.
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| Mat and Dylan, with audience members Coaches Green and Thissen from Fitchburg State perform "Tap the Audience" |
The entire front section of the theater was populated by the Fitchburg State Falcons Soccer team. For them, their moment, had come. Coaches Green and Thissen were invited to the stage to assist Dylan and Matt in a bit called “Tap the Audience”. In this bit, Coaches Green and Thissen must fill in the blanks when Matt and Dylan tap them. If appeared that the coaches might not only have a little improvisational skills of their own, they also had the audience, including their team roaring with their naughty references and innuendo.
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| Dylan and his Redneck backup band perform in "Telethon" |
Closing the show, the Bit Players performed “Telethon”. Hosted by Brittany and Stephanie (aka Charlene and Suzy) this fictional Telethon about “Poor Hygiene” was peculiarly humorous. Tim and Lobo, also known as Spit and Spat were up first as entertainers with their sullied Rap/Rock duet, followed by Clayon and his Maxwell-like R&B soiled stylings. Matt brought an unclean, yet groovy kinda love to the topic of poor hygiene with his Phil Collins-like song rendition. And then, bringing it all home with his grubby Blue Grassy ditty was Dylan and his redneck backup band. Watch the video to witness the shananigans. - > (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9BQ8ejNqqQ&feature=youtu.be )
So if you’re a player or a playa, loving the game or playing the game, the Firehouse Theater along with the Bit Players are the best tickets in town!
The Bit Players perform improv comedy every Friday and Saturday night at 8:00pm at the Firehouse Theatre, 4 Equality Park Place (off Broadway), Newport, RI 02840. Please call the box office for reservations and information about all of the shows 401-849-FIRE (3473) And it is always BYOB!
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