Kafka finds new life in comedy

The newest comedy troupe to hit Bloomington is, by their own definition, an oddity. ODDITYS is a band of IU student comedians who have recently come together at the Bloomington Playwrights Project to bring IU students and Bloomington residents their unique brand of humor. ODDITYS' second performance will be at 11:30 p.m. today at the BPP's Black Box Theatre.\n"The group's humor runs the gamut from dry, witty word play to cruel and obscene low-brow," IU senior and ODDITYS writer and cast member Ambur Lowenthal said. "ODDITYS is nothing if not versatile."\nIt abandons the usual "current events variety show," a la "Saturday Night Live," for a culmination of other inspirations. \n"(We are) walking a sarcastic tongue-in-cheek line between 'Mr. Show,' 'The State' and 'Kids in the Hall.' The ODDITYS deals in long-form sketch comedy with several short 'interjections' to break up the show," Lowenthal said. "Some skits are plot-and situation-driven. Others deal with idiosyncratic and wacky characters."\nThe group's first foray into the performing arts world occurred March 5 at the BPP. \nODDITYS employs three "head writers," -- Lowenthal, Kenny Dellinger and Greg O'Neill. Lowenthal said the three of them usually spend an evening chilling out in the living room writing and laughing together.\n"The process doesn't feel like work. It feels more like hanging out with your friends to create a product together," Lowenthal said. "It should be known that anyone in the group is able to submit scripts and ideas for their shows. Then, through a rehearsal process, the performers add their own individual touches to the final product."\nThe group's style is to present a cohesive theme -- such as "war and politics," as used for its first performance -- and bring its skits together within that general theme. According to a March 9 review of the first ODDITYS performance in the Indiana Daily Student, the theme served as more of a suggestion than as a set-in-stone rule. \n"The theme for the ODDITYS' work this week is 'Kafka-esque' -- a trip into the tragically hilarious and hilariously tragic," Lowenthal said.\nIndeed, one of the sketches involves a take on Franz Kafka's 1915 novella, "The Metamorphosis," in which Gregor Samsa, a salesman, wakes up one day to find he's turned into a large insect.\n"It's one of my favorites," said senior Mike Mauloff, a cast member. "It is sort of a sequel to 'Metamorphosis' where I play the bug's boss at an office building. It is pretty hilarious."\nAnother skit in the show, according to Mauloff, features Dracula buying beer and being carded by the store clerk.\nAnd to delight the audience, the cast is bringing in a special musical guest, Polish Jesus Whistle, to perform. According to www.clearchannelnewmusicnetwork.com, Polish Jesus Whistle consists of "two dudes pumpin' out folk ballads from their ranch-style house" in Indianapolis.\nODDITYS' cast consists of IU grad student Matt Isler, seniors Gregg O'Neill, Kenny Dellinger and Ambur Lowenthal, juniors David Mickler and Amy Backes, sophomore Jeremy Weston, and freshman Aaron Henze.\nThe show, with a running time of approximately 45 minutes, will be held at the Black Box Theatre at the Bloomington Playwrights Project, located at the corner of Washington and Third Streets. Tickets are $5 and will be available at the door. Call the BPP at 334-1188 for more information.\n-- Contact staff writer Andrew Welfle at awelfle@indiana.edu.