Friday, December 14th and Saturday, December 15th

"Christmas time is here
Happiness and cheer
Fun for all that children call
Their favorite time of the year..."

What a weekend!  It was full of Christmas spirit, swapping cookies, drinking cider and cocoa, Christmas caroling, and simply the joy of sharing in the presence of one another.  I know, for me, I got a taste of the true meaning of the season, and am forever grateful to the Bit Players for this wonderful and memorable weekend.

On Friday, The Bit Players got the Christmas balls rolling with their show hosted by Vlad Tenenbaum.  Joining Vlad were, Frank Fusaro, Tim Bric, Lobo Linhares, and Anna Smith (back from her sojourn in France – Yay!).  Tickling the ivories and providing the sounds of the season were Devon Mello and Chase Ceglie.

Frank, Lobo, Anna, and Tim
directed by Vlad in "Story, Story, Die!"

Starting things off was the bit, “Story, Story, Die”.  All the players told a collective story and were subject to the fickle finger, that is the fate, when Vlad, our mad Russian decided to eliminate players from the line when he was no longer amused by them.  In this story we learned about Billy and his adventures with duct tape in England.

Anna, Tim, and Frank perform
"Good Cop / Bad Cop"

In “Good Cop / Bad Cap” Frank was joined by Anna as the detectives performing the investigation on our crooked, criminal Tim.  Tim’s crime, provided by the audience, was that Tim killed all of the Ninja Turtles, with a Red Solo Cup, at an Ice Skating Rink.  It was Anna and Frank’s job to get Tim to confess to his crime by providing the clues, which Tim used to work out and admit to his wrong-doing.

Lobo and Frank as actors, with Tim and Vlad as "Stunt Doubles" (joined by Anna as "the body")

In “Stunt Doubles” Lobo and Frank were the pretentious actors who called on their doubles, Vlad and Tim, to perform their actions.  In this scene, Lobo and Frank had to deal with hiding a body (with Anna jumping into the fray as the body).  First, Vlad and Tim were tasked with wrapping the body in a shower curtain.  When that didn’t work, Lobo and Frank came up with the idea of using the body as a prop for a dance party (ala Weekend at Bernie’s ).  Finally Vlad and Tim were given the duty of putting the body in a shallow grave.

Tim and Anna in
"That Sounds Like A Song"

In the Musical bit, “That Sounds Like A Song” it was Anna partnered with Tim.  Vlad hosted this bit where Tim and Anna were window washers.  When Vlad was inspired, he froze the scene and directed the actors to continue the scene ‘s dialog in song.  Watch this heart-warming bit as Anna and Tim show us how wonderful a working relationship can really be. Click here to view the video -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAeRVic1Vn8&list=UUCKEgOdfeBioc_vDbVYZv_A&index=2

Frank as Santa and Vlad as the elf, with Tim, Anna, and Lobo as the children in "Santa's Lap"

The next bit was a new holiday favorite “Santa’s Lap”.  In this bit, Frank played Santa helped by his trusty elf, Vlad.  Santa was visited by three children, all eager to receive presents from the Mall Santa.  However, it was just before closing time, and Santa had only three gifts left in his sack (all items provided by the audience – a potato, a machete, and a shake weight).  Santa must convince these innocent youngsters that these are the best gifts in the world, and the children, from the clues provided by Santa and his elf, guess what was to be their present.

Anna, Tim, Frank, and Lobo in
"Blank the Blankety Blank"

In the second set of Friday night, The Bit Players performed another seasonal bit, “Blank, the Blankety, Blank” a musical game sung to the tune of “Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer”.  However in this ditty we heard about “Barry the Worried Plummer”.  Who wouldn’t be worried after Frank had come to make a deposit in Barry’s toilet?

Audience member, Tim is "Serenaded" by The Bit Players

31 year old Pharmaceutical sales rep, Tim was called to the stage by The Bit Players to be “Serenaded” in honor of his birthday.  Celebrating with his wife, Katherine, a first grade teacher,  we learned that Tim enjoyed watching sports and was a self-professed Giant’s fan.  All of the information gathered in the interview was used in the improvised song, sung in tribute to Tim, by The Bit Players.

Finishing up the night was a “Blues Song” about the audience supplied topic of Disney World.  Amusingly, a gentleman in the back of the theater provided the suggestion of a “date with Anna”… Guess he really wanted to experience, “A Small World, after all”…

On Saturday, Frank took over the hosting duties as he and Vlad were joined on stage by Clayon McFarlane, Jessica Bradley, Stephanie Conrad, and Dylan Eberle. Holding down the musical fort, on keyboards was Chuck Malone.

Clayon as Santa and Stephanie as his elf, with Jessica, Frank, and Dylan as the children in "Santa's Lap"

Since it was such a hit the previous night, the Bit Players brought back the holiday bit “Santa’s Lap”.  It was Clayon taking over the Santa role with Stephanie as the elf, helping to dole out the questionable offerings.  On Saturday night audience suggested the gifts of: a Bag of Glass, a Barbie Doll, and a Chiai Pet for which our children, Jessica, Frank, and Dylan must speculate.

Stephanie, Clayon, Frank and Dylan
in "Irish Drinking Song"

Audience member, Patty accompanied by her friend Paul were out celebrating her birthday at the Firehouse theater and were recognized in true “Irish Drinking Song” fashion by Stephanie, Clayon, Frank and Dylan who performed this bit inspired by them.

The many faces of Vlad as he performs "Good Morning"

Vlad never ceases to amaze with his mime piece, “Good Morning”.  The audience provided items that they would encounter in their daily routine, and Vlad not only interacted with the suggested items, he brought them to life as well.  As Vlad acted out the visual cues, supplemented by Frank’s sound effects, the audience “ooohed and ahhhhed” , identifying each item one at a time; toothbrush, coffee, toilet, soap, razor, lotion.

Jessica and Stephanie as "Bartenders" with Frank, Clayon, and Dylan as patrons to the bar

The bit, “Bartender” finished out the first set on Saturday with the dynamic, all-female duo of Jessica and Stephanie providing the musical advice from behind the bar.  The bar’s patrons, Frank, Dylan, and Clayon came to the bar with unique, audience suggested problems of: Frank’s mustache caused his divorce, Dylan slept with a co-worker, and Clayon had Erectile Dysfunction. 

Kerri Lynn and Victoria are "Serenaded" by The Bit Players

In Saturday’s second set,  the Bit Players called to the stage two young women, Kerri Lynn and Victoria who were celebrating their joint bachelorette party and upcoming marriage to each other to be “Serenaded”.  (Without sounding too much like an activist, watching the love that this beautiful couple radiated with one another makes you wonder why anyone would want to deny that love from being recognized.)  As Kerri Lynn and Victoria shared the details of their meeting through the online dating site “OK Cupid” and subsequent first date at Bertucci’s at the Emerald Square Mall, the Bit Players listened intently, and comprised an improvised song as a tribute to their love, and in honor of their upcoming nuptials.  Watch this special video and share in Kerri Lynn and Victoria’s joy!  Click here -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up95JiHz-qE

Frank as "Scrooge" with Dylan, Stephanie and Clayon as the ghosts of Christmases Past, Present & Future

Another Holiday bit “Scrooge” was added to the set list for Saturday.  In this bit Scrooge, played by Frank was visited by three ghosts who come to teach him about the true meaning of Christmas.  The ghosts were famous people as suggested by the audience.  The ghost of Christmas Past, Stonewall Jackson, was played by Dylan.  The ghost of Christmas Present was the Little Mermaid’s Ariel, played by Stephanie, and the ghost of Christmas Future was Morgan Freeman played by Clayon.

DON'T FORGET THESE SPECIAL SHOWS COMING UP:
• "Family Friendly Funnies" - Wed 12/26 & Sun 12/30 @ 7pm Bring the whole family. These high energy LIVE shows, full of hysterical characters, hilarious games, & side-splitting musical numbers will leave you wanting more every time. These special shows will have plenty of holiday inspired comedy so don't miss out on this opportunity to bring some "ha ha ha" to your "ho ho ho". Appropriate for children of all ages. Tickets: $10. Call for reservations. (401) 849-3473.
• "Laugh in the New Year" - NYE Mon 12/31 @ 8, 9:30 & 11pm
Want something different to do this New Years? Come enjoy this fast paced and energized group of improvisation master-minds. Welcome 2013 with a laugh! 3 shows, 1 night. Each show will be an hour. BYOB! The Mayans were wrong, the world didn't end, let's all laugh about it! Tickets: $20, ask for special group rates and ticket packages. Call for reservations (401) 849-3473.

From Birthdays, Bachelor/Bachelorette Parties, Anniversaries and even marriage proposals, want to arrange a unique event for someone special?  Why not show your love or appreciation for that certain someone, LIVE onstage!  Bring your friend or loved one to the Bit Players show, and celebrate in a one-of-a-kind way.  Contact the theater for information on how we can help you plan and make your event special!

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!