-
Mar 2, 2008 11:35 pm US/Central
-
Digg |
Facebook |
E-mail
|
Print
'Triple Espresso' Pouring Out Last Cup In April
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) ―
A comedy that has made millions of people laugh over the last 12 years and is one of Minnesota's longest-running live shows is calling it wrapping up next month. Before the final curtain falls, though, it's time to take a look at what's made the highly caffeinated show "Triple Espresso" such a hit.
The guys who wrote "Triple Espresso" had a dream of writing the funniest show in America, but never imagined their little comedy would see the success it has.
"This was going to be a six-month project and it ended up being 12 years," said Bill Arnold, one of the authors and actors of Triple Espresso. "You know timing is everything in comedy, and timing is everything in life."
A little show filled with big laughs, crazy antics, and even a little audience participation has been performed some 6,000-odd times in 37 cities and in three different languages.
It all started when three guys from the Twin Cities promised a church congregation they'd come up with a family friendly night of entertainment. They aimed to create a show you'd catch adults belly-laughing throughout while remaining a show you could bring children to see.
They had a big deadline but not much of an outline.
"We wrote it largely in Mike Donnelly's basement --
Michael Pearce Donley,
Bob Stromberg and
myself," said Arnold. "We literally sat at a table and said, 'OK, what do you know how to do? What do you know how to do? Here's what I know how to do.'"
What they came up with is a magic blend that had the audience laughing from beginning to end. It's difficult to describe "Triple Espresso," which has made its marketing a bit challenging.
"If you said, 'There's going to be a sing-along,' instantly I don't want to go," admitted Arnold. "And if you said, 'There's a magic show,' instantly I don't want to go."
"Every night it's like a fun gigantic hockey game, that you're the passing puck and scoring goals," said Arnold. "To be on stage with guys as talented as those guys, it never gets old."
Word of mouth quickly spread, as "Triple Espresso" enjoyed not only 12 years here, but record-breaking runs in Des Moines, Milwaukee, Albany, San Diego and Dublin. For the first couple of years, the authors played the main roles five nights a week, sometimes two shows a day.
"There was no one in the wings waiting to go on, and there were plenty of nights that all of us went on not feeling good," said Arnold.
Eventually there were backups. About 30 actors have played the parts of Buzz Maxwell, Hugh Butternut, and Bobby Bean -- three lovable characters who make "dysfunctional" a beautiful thing.
The trio says they grew up on '70s sitcoms, and found they are really timeless comedies.
"I remember watching Red Skelton. I remember thinking, 'I can't believe he can make me and my dad laugh at the same time,'" Arnold said. "And you know the Andy Griffith and Bob Newhart shows that were so clean and funny and character-driven. That was always our goal to have in live theater."
The boys of "Triple Espresso" have proven you can be funny without being foul, and they've proven the power of a good laugh. Night after night people come up and thank them for a couple hours of escape from their illnesses and emotional aches and pains.
"You kind of feel like here we are in the laugh hospital. Come with whatever you have that's causing hurt and we'll try to remove some of that," said Arnold.
"Triple Espresso" has certainly made it comic mark in the hearts of countless Minnesotans in its 12-year run. The show wraps up at the Music Box Theatre in Minneapolis on April 12. If you would like to catch it before it ends,
here is the information you need to make that happen.
The show is still running in San Diego, in case you need a laugh when you're on vacation out west.
(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)