THE SHAME COMPANY
THE 3RD FLOOR’S TEENAGE
EXPLOITATION COMEDY
Thursday, November 24th, 2011
Jessie Drake
This fall is proving to be a
sketch-comedy revival for Portland—with last month's
successful run from the talented new troupe Sweat, and now
a new show, The Shame Company, from veteran laughmakers the
3rd Floor.
The comedians of the 3rd Floor were raised on the sweet
milk of SNL's best years (the '90s—you may fight me
on this), and it shows. Diane DeHaven's manic smile and
superstar energy is straight up Molly Shannon, Bobby
Roberts (full disclosure: Roberts is the Mercury's calendar
editor) has flashes of Chris Kattan, and Ted Doug- lass
grounds the group like a mellowed John Belushi. The best
sketches in The Shame Company let the actors go back to
explore and exploit their teenage years in the '80s and
'90s. Because really, what's more shameful than that?
The first sketch, a consideration of how New Yorker
neighbors must have felt about the incessant singing,
stomping, and seize-the-day-ing of Newsies, falls flat as
an opener. But just as I was wishing I had grabbed another
drink (or three) before the show, Douglass bumbled on stage
in a denim cut-off vest as Kemmer Barnes, an orphaned nerd
with a speech impediment. Kemmer reappears throughout the
show as he searches his Rolodex for a friend to go see the
premiere of Ladyhawke with him, even though he doesn't have
any friends. It's the role that John Hughes didn't have
time to write, and Douglass steals the show and a little
piece of my heart.
Other bits that earned big laughs include a BeDazzler
battle, a cannibalistic baby shower, and the tragic tale of
a jazz percussionist who suddenly realizes that no one can
hear any of the instruments in his arsenal—not the
congas or the triangle or the maracas or the toothbrush or
the dicks, yeah, it keeps going. Jordana Barnes and DeHaven
impress with some subtle, clever puppet work. Also, I don't
know what is so funny about two grown men impersonating
cats, but Roberts and Jason Keller hunt down laser pointers
with feline perfection, hairball and all.
It ends, as any glorious tribute to the special shame of
the '80s and '90s should, with a lyrical dance number to
"Against All Odds" by Phil Collins. The 3rd Floor has
nothing to be ashamed of with The Shame Company.
THE 3RD
FLOOR REVIEW
COMEDY TROUPE GETS BACK TO ITS
STRENGTHS WITH “THE SHAME COMPANY”
Monday, November 28th, 2011
Marty Hughley
Shame can be a powerful force.
Usually it’s a thing that makes us feel bad, that
chills our relationship with the world around us. But in
the right hands, shame can be used for good, turned into
fuel for laughter.
Not long ago, Portland’s sketch-comedy champ, The 3rd
Floor, planned to get out of the sketch game. But after one
attempt at a full-length play (last fall’s
“Killing Time”), the troupe is back to what it
does best. Energy and audacity are keys to the 3rd Floor
style, and there’s plenty of those here, especially
in a recurring pre-recorded audio bit, a language lesson in
which common phrases are translated into straightforward
French, then colorfully, elaborately foul-mouthed
Australian slang.
What really distinguishes the troupe is the way it threads
surprising connections between disparate sketches, making
something more cohesive out of the form’s elliptical
nature. Spangled unitards, snake puppets, teenage girls
with lasers for eyes, a nerdy loser anxious to see the '80s
fantasy flick “Ladyhawke” -- somehow these and
other unlikely motifs coalesce into, not quite a story, but
a singular comic universe. And it’s a place
there’s no shame in visiting.
THE SHAME
COMPANY
“WILLAMETTE WEEK PICK”
Wenesday, December 7th, 2011
Rebecca Jacobson
At summer camp one year, my
cabin choreographed a dance routine to a song by TLC. We
wore cutoff jean shorts and shook sassy index fingers at
the audience. I’m quite certain it was awful. Grisly
flashbacks of this performance haunted me during this
energetic show by sketch comedy troupe the 3rd Floor, in
which some of the strongest scenes excavate the
embarrassment and angst of adolescence.
But it’s not all giggly summer camp
sketches—the show also boasts sequined unitards,
grown men mimicking cats, a video reel featuring such
bygone luminaries as Dennis Rodman and JonBenét Ramsey and
a very funny pantomime by Jason Keller as a smooth jazz
percussionist. Characters reappear throughout the show,
stringing otherwise unrelated sketches into an unexpectedly
cohesive and amusing evening.
Some of it makes sense and some of it doesn’t, but
the choreography is hilarious and the comedic timing
first-rate—and did I mention the sequined unitards?
PORTLAND STAGE
REVIEWS
3RD FLOOR
SKETCH COMEDY TROUPE IN: THE SHAME COMPANY
Sunday, November 11th, 2011
Sabrina Miller
There are those of us that like
to laugh, that prefer comedy over drama or tragedy. Come
on, who doesn’t like to laugh? It’s healthy
& makes you feel good! Then there are those of us that
get induced into laughter so hard we start tearing up. I
will tell you right now that The 3rd Floor Sketch Comedy
Troupe delivers just that in The Shame Company.
Staged at the Miracle Theatre (which is a kick ass venue by
the way) made for a very comfortable environment (no
really, the seats were great!) for the opening night
of… shame.
If there were any hiccups in this show, I wouldn’t
have been able to tell you what they were. The night went
off without a hitch as 5 people come together to bring you
stories about summer camp, unitards, exceptional
transitional interludes between scenes, and lasers. Lots of
lasers. I don’t want to give away too much of some of
my absolute favorite sketch moments, I want you to go and
experience them for yourselves which makes writing this
review really hard!
You couldn’t have asked for a better cast of people
to come together to entertain you for about 90 minutes. Ted
Douglass, Jordi Barnes, Jason Keller, Bobby Roberts and
Diane DeHaven were all absolutely fantastic. No actor was
more upstaged then another, it was really well paced,
everyone had equal stage time, and the comedic timing
between them in ALL of their sketches was spot on, even the
transitions between the sketches was entertaining. I loved
how I could tell which sketches were inspired by a few of
the actors even though I don’t know them all that
well. There’s no more telling thing in this world
when someone you know can confidently wear wigs & a
dress and… wait… dang it! I can’t tell
you the rest! But I can tell you that I laughed my ass off!
Needless to say, I 110% recommend that no matter what you
might be doing on a Friday or Saturday night from here
until December 17th, you NEED to go see
this. It’s Portland comedy at it’s finest.
Honestly, this was the first sketch comedy troupe
I’ve seen here and I have to tell you that others
will have a lot to live up to after seeing the 3rd Floor.
It’s like eating the best burger you’ve ever
had, all other burgers pale in comparison to what you had
before. So please, go forth, buy tickets to this show,
support your local artists & have a good laugh!