By Julianne Homokay
Special to the Alpine Mountaineer
Comedy is alive and well on the mountain. From various open mic nights at venues from Crestline to Green Valley Lake and the wildly successful First Dibs Comedy stand-up shows, locals don’t have a hard time finding a place nearby to see comics do their thing.
Amanda Talbot
“Mountain Chitter Chatter,” the show debuting at the San Moritz Lodge at 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 23, is a slightly different animal. The show is the brainchild of two of the mountain’s most talented improv artists: Amanda Talbot, who came up through the renowned institution Second City, and Tracey Ellert, who cut her teeth with the legendary Chicago troupe Improv Olympics.
Rounding out the cast is writer-actor-filmmaker-comic Janeva Zentz, founder of the First Dibs series, who Talbot and Ellert met when they appeared as comics on the show. “It made more sense with three,” said Talbot. Ellert added, “We all gelled so well together.”
So what sets this event apart from a traditional stand-up show? First off, the trio did not start with a script or written jokes. They created the show “a la a Second City review,” said Talbot. “We improvised beats,” meaning a moment or component in a scene or sketch, “then improvised beats into sketches. We didn’t write anything down until we had the show. There wasn’t time for that,” she joked.
Improvisationally born comedy is a little more than simply make-it-up-as-you-go-along, though. “An improv show can be made up on the spot,” Ellert said. “You might not know where you’re going; you make it up in the moment.” Sketch comedy is “writing by performing. You use improv, but you know where you’re going.”
Tracey Ellert
In terms of choosing a theme, “we found out at First Dibs that stuff about the mountain works really well on the mountain,” said Talbot. So local audiences can expect that the show will speak to them and celebrate, if not poke fun at, their unique experiences.
Talbot and Ellert have wanted to do a show together for a while now. What finally pushed them out of the nest? They were invited to perform at the San Moritz Lodge. “When Tracey found the space, it was the catalyst to make it happen,” said Talbot. Ellert had already fallen in love with the space at the Lodge from First Dibs Comedy’s one-year anniversary show. She threw a holiday party there and got to talking with one of the guests, Alma Barrios, Lake Gregory Company’s events coordinator. Ellert mentioned that she would love to do shows at the Lodge, which is when Barrios invited them to come and perform, as Lake Gregory Company was looking to add another community event. “We’re super excited to collaborate with them,” said Ellert. “We’re trying to get them to see the potential in what this could do for the community.”
The trio is hopeful that this event will be ongoing. “Maybe four times a year,” said Talbot. “It would be fun to showcase our sketches and also those of others.”
“We’d love it to be an ongoing thing,” added Ellert. “We’re searching for a home.”
Locals may not have to wait for their next show to see Zentz, Talbot and Ellert in action. Following on the heels of “Mountain Chitter Chatter,” Zentz is bringing back First Dibs after a winter hiatus to its new space at Lake Arrowhead Brewing Company. Talbot will be reprising her role as Jessica the housemaid in Heisler Theater’s upcoming Sherlock Holmes and the Star of Arabia. And Ellert keeps herself plenty busy teaching Youth Acting, Improv and Silly Storytime for Rim Recreation and Park District. She is also preparing for Rim Youth Theatre’s upcoming production of Matilda, Jr.
Ultimately, we all love to laugh. It’s a boon to our mountain community that Zentz, Talbot and Ellert are giving us a chance to do that.
Mountain Chitter Chatter will be held in the Fireside Room at the San Moritz Lodge, 24640 San Moritz Drive, Crestline. Doors open at 5:30; show begins at 6. Admission is free, but first-come-first serve. Complimentary snacks courtesy of the Lodge and beverages for purchase by the Bear Claw Saloon will be available. This is a family-friendly show.
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