Rumor has it that the Brooklyn neighborhood
called Gowanus was named by a local tradesman who would coax
his recalcitrant donkey across the canal by urging the animal
to "go on, ass." One cannot help but suspect that this
perhaps apocryphal individual would be greatly amused by the
antics of the Frogmen of the Gowanus.
This smart-ass theater group performing
in the Geloscopic Theatre at the newly re-opened Brooklyn Lyceum
presents the kind of tongue-in-cheek, kiss my you-know-what kind
of humor that has made Brooklynites famous from the Borscht Belt
to Broadway. (The theater is named for "geloscopy,"
the art of divining the future based on laughter.)
Their current offering, which plays for
two more Fridays, is a series of comedy sketches that begins
with an irate actor banging a two-by-four over the head of an
audience plant whose cell phone goes off, and ends with a disappointed
lover coming to terms with his anatomical "Best Friend."
For those who still haven’t gotten the
picture, other vignettes include an Argentinean shampoo developer
trying to impress her befuddled chemists with the dignity and
urgency of their work; two men at a bar discussing their love
life and uttering profundities like, "Men are from Mars;
women are from Gowanus," and "My fear of emotional
solicitude threatens to engulf my spirit"; and a glimpse
of male bonding at the urinals.
There’s also a running joke featuring a
young nerd bragging about the ticket for a big game he has in
his pocket, which leaves one actor face-to-face with well, let’s
just say this is one show you gotta see for yourself.
If any of this leads you to believe you
should leave the kids at home, you’re probably right. (Unless
your kids are over 16, in which case they’ll be able to clue
you in on the finer points.)
Eric Richmond, who bought the Lyceum back
in 1994 and has been renovating it ever since, says he found
his actors by putting a sign up on the Lyceum gate. The turnout
he got would have made Florenz Ziegfeld turn green with envy.
The 11 actors who make up the Frogmen of
the Gowanus have all mastered the essentials of comedy – originality,
impudence, shameless honesty, insanity – and of course, the perfect
timing that makes it all work.
Their sketches are a collaborative effort.
Richmond, who calls himself a "theater aficionado"
and "actor wannabe," modestly says his only contribution
is, "I help vote," when there is some discussion about
a particular sketch.
The Brooklyn Lyceum (aka Public Bath No.
7) opened in 1910 as the largest indoor pool in the United States.
Today it is mostly a drafty shambles with a small, renovated
area that has become the Geloscopic Theatre with the Well You
Never Know (WYNK) Cafe in the lobby space. (The cafe sells hot
and cold beverages, pastries and postcards with Brooklyn scenes.)
But Richmond and his Frogmen have big plans.
For the immediate future they’re going
to present a new series of sketches every month starting in May.
Also beginning in May will be live music in the Geloscopic Theatre
every night from 5 pm to 7 pm. But eventually, Richmond and the
Frogmen hope to make the Lyceum into an all-encompassing arts
center, with dance, theater, film, music and art exhibits.
"I’ll bet what the locals really want
is a place like a medieval town square – somewhere that has a
play on one night, an art show on a second and a public hanging
on a third," said Richmond.
Although the hanging proved to be illegal,
Richmond settled for original one-act plays, short and full-length
plays, independent film projects, and any other creative works
that come to life in Brooklyn. Richmond welcomes artists of all
stripes to present their ideas.
In the meantime, the Frogmen have been
performing to full houses drawn by fliers and word-of-mouth,
occasionally even turning away an unfortunate few.
If you ask this writer, some of those big
guys on the other side of the river had better start watching
their box offices.
"The Frogmen of the Gowanus: Sketch
Comedy Gowanus Style" will be performed at 8 pm on April
20 and April 27. Tickets are $15. The Brooklyn Lyceum is located
at 227 Fourth Ave. at President Street. For reservations, call
(718) 857-4816. For more information, visit www.gowanus.com
on the Web.
