BURSTING the comedy BUBBLE

Sellout crowds are a thing normally reserved for boy bands, presidential visits and Star Wars premieres. But All Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble, back again this year to keep people in stitches, will be performing at the Bloomington Playwrights Project every other Saturday for $5 a head. And don't plan on coming in the door at the last minute because the first show of the year last Saturday was completely packed. \nThe crowd was littered with enthusiastic long-time loyal fans overdue for a good show. One dedicated long-haired, bearded spectator wore a homemade shirt to express his appreciation: "All Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble … cutting you open to see if your insidesa smell like flowers." \nAlso in attendance were first-time viewers, including a few parents of IU students in town for the weekend. \nThe hard-working members of Boy in the Bubble didn't disappoint. The energy level was through the roof of the BPP for the entirety of their hour-long show. The jokes didn't let up nor did they make any apologies. The humor of Boy in the Bubble doesn't just push the envelope, it blows the envelope into pieces. \nJunior Luke Doler of the group describes the comedy as, "Blunt, a little low brow, but overall still pretty good." \nAnd opening night for the group was nothing less than blunt. The skits involved plenty of creative four-letter words and sexual humor some might find tasteless or not extremely funny. Many of the sketches also employed ethnic themes that caught the audience off guard, but produced some of the loudest laughs.\n"Nothing is so important that it can't be made fun of," said junior Emily Radke, a member of the group. \nStill, the jokes weren't too much for the few parents attending. Even the performers' parents see the humor in the skits. \n"They're cool with the majority of it," Doler said.\nMaking dirty jokes and entertaining parents aren't simple tasks. The folks in All Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble put hours of hard work into each performance, including rehearsal in the hours leading up to the show.\nThe rehearsal process wasn't just finding the beer for the afterparty or playing with toy guns, banjos and squeaky toys (they really did all that) -- problems did arise. Somebody had a flat tire, another had to work late at another job. So those already there filled in and ran the skits that they could until everybody showed up. With no single person in charge, the members each took equal responsibility in organizing the run-throughs. They kept their sense of humor while upholding enough professionalism to put it all together. In the end, the lines were worked out, the props taken care of and the blocking fixed. The finished product was a sold-out performance and a great start to another year of comedy with All Sorts of Trouble for Boy in the Bubble.\nThe start of the year also means auditions for those wishing to be part of the group. Auditions are scheduled for the second week of October. The members of Boy in the Bubble are always excited about adding to the line-up. \n"Every semester we get new people, and it changes the chemistry, which is great," said junior Gene Westbrook.\nJunior David Scheehan agreed.\n"It's like getting a new baby in your family," Scheehan said. "At first people are jealous, lots of fighting, but then people fit in."\nThe majority of the roster now are guys -- just two girls are currently in the mix. Boy in the Bubble encourages girls to try out even though comedy is usually male-dominated.\n"Girls have certain inhibitions that keep them from doing it," Radke explains. "You just have to make a fool of yourself and do it. And have a mouth like a sailor."\nFive dollars is a small price to pay when all the profits go toward the space they use, though it needs to be larger to accommodate the growing fan base -- a fan base that is sure to be amused by the folks of All Sorts of Trouble for Boy in the Bubble. After all, as Radke says, they just want to make people laugh.\n"I think everyone should laugh all the time, it makes things a lot easier"