The infamous Canadian sketch comedy group, “The Kids in the Hall,” is back and taking its gags on tour. The five-man group is a revival of the popular TV show, bringing together the old cast, including Dave Foley, Bruce McColloch, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney, and Scott Thompson.
WHEN: Saturday, April 26, 7 p.m.
WHERE: Orpheum Theatre, 910 Hennepin Ave. Minneapolis
TICKETS: $37.50 – $49.50
One of their more famous sketches and likely the most remembered was when the cast members were attempting to squish each other’s heads between their thumbs and forefingers – catching their prey at a distance and eyeing them through their fingers like the sight of a gun.
A&E spoke with Thompson over the phone while he was on tour with the troupe in New York.
A&E: How was the show last night?
Scott Thompson: It was sold out. We have two more tonight, both sold out. Our audiences have been very young, crazy, and I guess they have been discovering us through youtube or their parents, or their grandparents. It’s a thrill. I think many of them don’t quite realize what we’re like live, so they’re just thrilled, they go crazy the moment we walk out. It’s 90 minutes of pure chaos, it’s fabulous. I think people like the most when things fall apart in our show and things do fall apart; we actually enjoy it very much. I think that people are so used to everything being scripted. I mean nowadays everything in entertainment is so scripted and even reality is fake. I think people really appreciate performers that can bring it live and we certainly can, because that’s how we started out.
A&E: You say it’s scripted, but at the same time things can go awry, how does that work out? How is it working with the other characters if something goes amiss?
ST: The other night my microphone came off and I wasn’t fully dressed to come out for the scene and there was this big, long piece of tape sticking up in my face, so I was trying to hold my microphone down and I had my fingers on it like Jack Benny. I said ‘God we watch too many Jack Benny movies’ and then Dave (Foley) started putting his fingers on, talking like Jack Benny, and then all the other guys did and next thing you know we were doing the whole scene like Jack Benny. So, that was pretty damn funny and you know you just have to go with the flow.
If things fall apart, if something rips, if the microphone falls off, or you don’t hit your mark, you just have to go with the flow. Because it’s not a play, it’s entertainment and whatever entertains the audience is fine with me. They just love it. It’s comedy, it’s not rock-n-roll, it’s not like a song, and it doesn’t matter. All that matters is the chemistry between the five of us and the relationship between us and the audience. As long as you maintain that everyone gets their money’s worth.
A&E: How is that interaction? Do you work the audience quite a bit? Is that important?
ST: Very important. It’s a thrill. We don’t get this chance much in our lives. We all perform on our own, but there is nothing like being a group. When you are with a group on stage, especially with this group, who I trust so implicitly, I know that no matter what happens they will support me and vice-versa. By supporting I mean abandoning. When I say support we will tease the hell out of each other and mock each other ruthlessly, but in comedy that’s a form of support. The chemistry is there like it always was and I don’t see that dying.
