Text 751, 72 rader
Skriven 2006-10-18 19:30:48 av TomK (1:379/45)
Ärende: British Comedy Live Show review
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From: "TomK" <tkonkle@aol.com>

See short movies and live performances at http://www.daveandtom.com


REVIEW OF LATEST SHOW

Weekend Review: "Dave and Tom's: A Tribute to Dave and Tom" By Julianne Fylstra
DAILY BRUIN SENIOR STAFF

"Dave and Tom's: A Tribute to Dave and Tom"

Santa Monica Playhouse

Saturday, Oct. 14

David Beeler and Tom Konkle, best known as the British comedy team that brought
laughter to audiences all over the globe, died Saturday at 8 p.m.

Their deaths were confirmed in the play "Dave and Tom's: A Tribute to Dave and
Tom," and they are survived by repeated performances at the Santa Monica
Playhouse until Oct. 29.

The show, which is a tribute to these dearly departed souls, is made ghoulishly
gleeful in that the tribute is hosted by none other than Dave and Tom
themselves.

The pair isn't actually British (try American), but apparently they have nine
lives - or at least two, as they claim to have been deceased well in advance of
the tribute show's premiere.

But willing suspension of disbelief isn't too hard to do here, because these
fictitious Brits run through sketch after sketch without losing any steam. The
audience is thrown into a world where anything is possible and everything is
gut-bustingly funny.

Beeler and Konkle's chemistry make "Dave and Tom's" a treat to watch.

They build off each other's wild gestures, energy and antics as if they've
known each other all their lives, even though they met in 1999. The wide range
of sketches require Beeler and Konkle to play characters who are polar
opposites of each man's previous part, yet the duo pull it off with ease.

One of the best sketches is "Doctor Braintree," which happens early on in the
show. Tom plays a doctor who has been having an affair with Dave's wife for
years and just discovered test results that show that Dave is going to die in
three months. The problem is, these results have been lost for three months,
and today is Dave's date with the grim reaper.

The "Braintree" sketch seamlessly turns into the longest death scene ever - the
next sketch, "Thus Die I" - as Dave proceeds to die after being shot hundreds
of times while Tom flashes cards that say "The Godfather," "The Godfather II,"
"Scarface," "Platoon," "The Terminator" and so on.

It may be the longest death sequence an audience has seen in ages, but it's
also the best: Beeler's facial expressions are priceless, and the amount of
positions he can contort himself into make Jenna Jameson pale in comparison.

Another excellent sketch is "The Publicist," which involves Konkle dressed as
Dave and Tom's old, frumpy female publicist, complete with glasses and a wild
hairdo to match. This is the best monologue in the entire show, as the
publicist gets drunker and drunker, stumbling offstage and returning with dark
stains all over her dress. She talks about how having ample parking outside a
theater is the secret to a show's success, only to wonder aloud, "Why do I keep
getting dropped off in parking lots with strange men?"

Dave and Tom may be dead (kind of), but their tribute show is more lively and
hoppin' than a grasshopper on speed. In other words, don't miss it, or you'll
be gravely sorry.

--- BBBS/NT v4.01 Flag-5
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