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Wednesday, September 24, 2008
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'Triple' the fun GOING OUT - THEATER Entertainment Editor An actor getting tired of performing in "Triple Espresso" would be like a baseball player getting bored with hitting a home run every time at bat. Connecting with the sweet spot is always satisfying, even when you've acted in 1,300 stagings of the show, as Brian Kelly has.
"I've done a lot of comedy, and I've never been in a show that's funnier or more well-received," said the Minneapolis actor, who will perform as Bobby Bean when "Triple Espresso" plays sold-out shows Wednesday and Thursday at Central Lakes College.
"People ask me, 'How do you keep doing the same show?' I say every line in the show is a laugh line. There's no reason to not want to hit it out of the park every single time. It's too much fun."
A musical comedy about three struggling variety showmen, "Triple Espresso" was written and first performed in 1995 by Twin Cities actors Bill Arnold, Michael Pearce Donley and Bob Stromberg. Since then, it's like the corner coffee shop that morphed into Starbucks. Several actors have taken up the roles of Hugh Butternut, Buzz Maxwell and Bobby Bean, taking "Triple Espresso" across the country and worldwide.
"Most shows don't have the legs that this one does," said Kelly, 39, who has played Bean - a musician "of questionable talent" - for six years. "I have friends who will rehearse for a month for a show that lasts two weeks, and just when the show is closing they feel like they're getting a handle on it. We're very lucky. It becomes the science of comedy after awhile. We're always tweaking it."
Kelly's theater career began in 1992 with the Twin Cities improvisational troupe ComedySportz. "Triple Espresso" is 180 degrees removed from that.
"I come from an improv background where you only have one shot at it," said Kelly, who learned to play guitar for this role. "This is a show that's specific in the direction. Some guys find it frustrating, but I'd always been under-directed, so it's fun to be pushed to do something specific."
"Triple Espresso" is often cited for its clean, family friendly humor.
"There's a lot of mean comedy happening now. It's always gotta be at someone's expense. No one gets hurt (in 'Triple Espresso'). You're not laughing because you're uncomfortable or because it's at somebody's misfortune. This is honest laughter. It's guilt-free.
"The best thing I ever heard is the comparison to a Pixar movie. It's funny if you're a kid or an adult. It's not playing down to anybody. It's 'The Simpsons' meets 'Spinal Tap.'"
"Triple Espresso" recently shut down it's main stage in Minneapolis, but it likely will be a viable touring show for years to come. There's still a lot of the globe to cover. If it can have a seven-month run in Ireland, which tends to take a "once is enough" approach to theater, it can probably find an audience anywhere.
"We went to Dublin, and it went as good or better (as in America)," Kelly said. "They had a real appreciation for underhanded barbs, which we're throwing at each other throughout the show. That's the Irish of the humor - the dig you don't recognize as a dig. It paired up perfectly, and it was the longest running show in Dublin history."
Just like the actor, it seems audiences can't get enough of "Triple Espresso."
"This show is a lot like a roller coaster," Kelly said. "If it's fun once, it'll be fun again."
JOHN HANSEN may be reached at john.hansen@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5863.
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