Throat Culture has always been about the laughs. TC is a sketch-comedy group affiliated with the JHU Barnstormers whose mission is to poke fun at anything it can find. In its recent showcase (Nov. 19 and 20 in Arellano Theater), TC shared almost three hours worth of spoofs and short-videos ranging from laugh-out loud funny to sleep-inducing. While many of the sketches were inventive and humorous, others lasted well beyond their welcome.
Seniors Michael Levy and David Fishman are the brain-trust behind TC and are also two of its more inspired members. Their showcase began with a video depicting all of TC's members pretending to audition for an X-Men movie, each with their own special "super power." Since TC has about 26 members, some of them funnier than others, the need for inclusion sometimes won out over the need for laughs. Among the funnier moments was Fishman's depiction of man whose super power was an "Iron Fist." In a later tryout a student claimed to have a magnetic crotch and the Iron Fist plunges into him fist first, a great bit of coordinated slapstick.
In one amusing sketch, two roommates (played by Joseph Micali and Jason Maur) confess to each other that each is sleeping with a family member of the other. At first each tries to keep it a secret, but after a heated Yankees-Red Sox argument, Micali's character lets the truth slip, and all hell breaks loose. While the premise had great potential, the climax seemed to choke off some of the laughs instead of letting them erupt.
In one of the most original pieces, Levy played a bum in central park who sells private time with a small piece of earth for $2 to bystanders (including choice of musical accompaniment). As his customers walk by, Levy treats us to some hilarious bits where he convinces them to buy the plot, after which we are treated to the unique ways in which each customer uses their time. Unlike many sketch performers, Levy never fell victim to a small grin or smile, and stayed in character for the duration of his performance, helping to maintain audience attention to the story and heightening the comedy.
In an excellent, but somewhat overdrawn video piece, Fishman and Ken Levin play two polar opposite roommates. We are treated to a series of four conversations between the two, one for each year of college, and slowly see the transformation of each into the other. Fishman starts as a jock football player, confident and girl-hungry, while Levin is a dorky nerd more interested in academics and video games. Over the years, however, Fishman loses his confident optimism in regards to women and by senior year shows a change in his sexual preferences. Ken also loses his academic drive, turning into a depressed alcoholic who no longer cares about school. The chemistry between these two was tremendous. Both have a knack for comedic timing and intonation that is hard to acquire.
The main problem with TC's show was length. At almost three hours long, the show ran way too long for a collection of comedic skits. For the sake of brevity, TC would be best suited by limiting their skits to shorter time-periods and highlighting those with the most comedic talent. They also could use some work on timing (what comedian couldn't?) and figuring out ways to maximize the humor out of their dramatic setups.
Still, TC has a lot of great talent, young and old, and it is always comforting to know that there are students out there ready to make fun of anything and everything. Results are still pending on Throat Culture, but the preliminary prognosis reads funny with a few spouts of failed jokes.
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