 Dink Tankproduced by Renegade Comedy Theater Past PerformancesDeath and the Maidenby Ariel DorfmanOctober 5-7, 12-14 7:30 p.m. at The Play Ground True Westby Sam Shepard |
Dink Tank Makes DebutDink Tank, Duluth's newest sketch comedy troupe, make their debut June 6-7 and 13-14 at the Teatro Zuccone, produced by Renegade Comedy Theatre.
Even though it isn't a WCT production, Dink Tank is Duluth's newest (and funniest) sketch comedy troupe. Featuring the talents of Andy Bennett, Katy Helbacka, Kelli Latuska, Lawrence Lee, Tony Bennett, Scott Mallace, Katy Marie, Brandon Roberts and WCT founders Nathan Carlblom and Jody Kujawa, Dink Tank is some funny stuff. See the following review, written by The Duluth News-Tribune's Paul Brissett, and then go see it for yourself.
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Review: Theater training pays off in Renegade’s latest revuePaul Brissett, Duluth News TribunePublished Saturday, June 07, 2008 Passion and talent can make for some good entertainment, but passion, talent and training make it a lot better. Over the years, Renegade Comedy Theatre’s periodic comic revues have seldom lacked for passion and talent, but only occasionally had the benefit of formal, rigorous training among its writers, directors and performers. As a consequence, you never knew what to expect: a sloppy, sophomoric mishmash of lame gags or a mainline injection of high-octane humor. But there is hope for future consistency in the debut of Renegade’s new director, Katy Helbacka, who succeeded founding director Brian Matuszak, with “Dink Tank,” a revue that opened Friday at the Teatro Zuccone. Helbacka, who also wrote for and appears in the show, has trained at Chicago’s Second City and Improv Olympics. She has described the production process for “Dink Tank” as having been modeled on professional television methods. Helbacka’s troupe includes Andrew Bennett, a product of UMD’s theater program, and Scott Mallace, a current student there. It also features the return to the Renegade stage of Jodi Kujawa, the amount of whose formal training is unknown but whose comic talent and extensive experience makes the question inconsequential. Other performers are Kelli Latuska, Katy Marie and Brandon Roberts. The show provided no playbills with biographies, so their backgrounds also are unknown, but they’re the equal of their degreed fellow performers. There is a significantly higher degree of polish on the writing, acting and staging of this revue than has been the case in most of Renegade’s past efforts. But by the same token, the edge is a good bit sharper. Skits poking fun at Christianity, at the 700 Club particularly, and centering on masturbation and flatulence are not for the easily offended. And the scriptdoesn’t scrimp on four-letter words, either. Perhaps the show’s funniest bit is “President Idol,” in which Hillary Clinton, John McCain and Barack Obama compete ala “American Idol,” judged by Mike Huckabee, John Edwards and George W. Bush. As Clinton, Helbacka is devastatingly funny, and Kujawa’s command of Bush’s drawl, facial expressions and body language is eerily accurate. WHAT: Renegade Comedy Theatre’s “Dink Tank” WHERE: Teatro Zuccone, 222 E. Superior St. WHEN: 8 p.m. today and June 13-14 HOW MUCH: $10 plus $1 facility surcharge FOR INFORMATION: 336-1375 or www.renegadecomedytheatre.com. THE REVIEW: A new director debuts with a classy, sassy revue. |