A review

...more like a 'synopsis', but still - it's something in the Oregonian.

Review: 'Tandem' offers an amusing look at how men and women communicate (or don't)
By Holly Johnson

Dialogue between men and women, whether in real life or performance, is a circular, unending duet, both discordant and sweet.
In “Tandem,” created by a sketch comedy duo named Jean Louis (comprised of Stacey Hallal and Bob Ladewig), the subject of instant communication between the sexes or the total failure to communicate covers all sorts of ground in a one-hour show at the Curious Comedy Theater in North Portland.
Stereotypes are skewed, relationships are refreshingly unpredictable, and quick glimpses of life, surreally loopy or strikingly familiar, quickly come to life as the two lovingly cultivate that hybrid called the comedy sketch.
The short sketches fill about an hour, and in them often the actors’ characters are indeed in tandem. When a couple first meets in a café and find themselves saying the exact same things to each other in unison, and are unable to stop, as if some kind of metaphysical gear got stuck. “It was pretty funny at first, but now it’s getting a little creepy,” they chorus to one another in desperation.
In another scene, a man and woman on an airplane experience rough turbulence and lunge at each other lustfully for the few moments that it lasts.
Other times, communication is bewildering: When a first-time dad watches his newborn in a maternity ward, he meets a woman who regularly frequents the ward to offer men sex. It takes him a while to register her come-on.

Much of the best comedy is physical, and saturated with rich musical accompaniment. In an office scene (my favorite), a man and woman mime their sexual fantasies about each other to a dreamy score, never seeing each other’s actions, and only connecting on a superficial level when the music suddenly changes to something nerve-jangling.

Hallal and Ladewig come together hilariously as an in-sync couple when they appear to be selecting pets at a dog pound, with unwitting members of the audience serving as the dogs.
Hallal is best-known for her highly successful “The Humperdink Family Reunion,” a one-woman show previously performed in Portland before it toured North America. Ladewig, who looks a bit like David Tennant, the British actor playing the current “Doctor Who,” is a former student of the renown comedy theaters of Chicago, a writer, performer and teacher of improvisational and sketch comedy and an actor in commercials.
The atmosphere at the Curious Comedy Theater is laidback, friendly and casual. It’s usually a packed venue on weekends, but the cheerful folks in charge always seem to miraculously pull out extra chairs for late-comers. It’s a party where you may not know everyone, but where after a show you feel connected.

cut and pasted from here

Tandem'd

Jean Louis opened.
Two performances of Tandem as part of the Fertile Ground Festival. Both shows were sold out. For a work-in-progress, both Stacey and I are happy with the two shows we did this weekend. Crowds seemed engaged. Laughs were consistent. I'd say it was a success. Thanks to everyone who came out.

Jean Louis scene test from Curious Comedy on Vimeo.

Jean Louis

Stacey and I have spent this month (and a good chunk of December) working on a two-person sketch show. On top of that, we're both working our jobs, scheduling/managing events at the theater, teaching classes and keeping in touch with friends. There is not a lot of free time on either of our plates. The show opens tomorrow January 22nd at 9pm and I am a bit on the nervous side. There is a lot more riding on this sketch show than we would have ever thought.
First, we own the theater and are the instructors of the training center. There's a reputation there we need to make sure we hold.
Second, we haven't had any free time as a couple - so a lot of our rehearsal time has been spent doing our couple's arguing over stupid things. It's ridiculous on both our parts. I know I'm not easy to work with in a sketch environment, I warned everybody. Both she and I are fairly stubborn and feel like we know how to make any sketch idea work. When you're not working together, it will never work. Sheesh.
Third, We have already received a good amount of attention and we have never done the show. (Click the links to read)
Portland Monthly Blog
Mercury Pick
We have our last rehearsal in the early afternoon tomorrow. Right now we're at the point where we hate everything in the show and don't think any of the sketches are worth the paper we've printed them out on. There's a lot of stress going on around here. Wish us luck. We'll see how it goes...

favorites

Here is a compilation of some of my favorite songs from 2009.
2009 Favorite Songs
01 Here We Go Magic - only pieces
02 Viva Voce - die a little
03 Edward Sharp & the Magnetic Zeros - janglin
04 the Dead Weather - cut like a buffalo
05 Dirty Projectors & David Byrne - knotty pine
06 Local Natives - warning sign
07 Flight of the Conchords - carol brown
08 Malakai - snowflake
09 Real Estate - atlantic city
10 XX - islands
11 Dead Man's Bones - in the room where you sleep
12 Bear In Heaven - you do you
13 St Vincent - actor out of work
14 Crayon Fields - all the pleasures of the world
15 Future of the Left - arming eritrea
16 Nurses - caterpillar playground
17 Grizzly Bear - while you wait for the others (w/ michael mcdonald)
18 the Heavy - how you like me now
19 Foreign Born - early warnings
20 Golden Silvers - true romance (true no. 9 blues)
21 Thao with the Get Down Stay Down - cool yourself
22 Antony & the Johnsons - crazy in love
23 Bon Iver - woods

enjoy!