News and Press

2005-12-02

CURTAIN CALLS

Laffing Matterz is an idea whose time has come. In a showscape overburdened with either small bar and lounge venues or giant, star-driven arena shows, comes an honest-to-goodness, old-fashioned supper club show. As its name suggests, Laffing Matterz is a comedy show, but, unlike the usual comedy club format of three standup comics spouting angry, blue-tinged material, Laffing Matterz is a fully-staged, production show, singing, dancing, a cast of a dozen plus and some of the funniest material every to grace any stage. It is sort of Saturday Night Live LIVE!

Laughing Matterz is the brainchild of Mark and Rita Wells, transplants from out west, who have decided to give downtown Fort Lauderdale show biz a shot in the arm. For this, we are profoundly grateful. They have chosen as their watchwords Quality. Style and Charm. Their physical plant consists of two large, handsome rooms, a roomy, comfortable lobby/bar and a spacious horseshoe showroom that seats 175 people. Whereas most comedy clubs are claustrophobic, this room is vast and expansive. The lobby is decorated with warm woods and columns of faux brick. It is a welcoming place.

The club is located on Andrews Avenue just at its junction with Las Olas (the former McCrorys location), just adjacent to the Riverwalk
complex. The package includes dinner and show ($45), and considering today's prices. It was a bargain, in more ways than one.

The evening starts with the dinner, and this is surprise number one. It is not the usual assembly line, commissary, blah nightclub fare. Laffing Matterz' menu is daring, delicious and GOURMET. Chef John Eustace is a culinary artist. One of his shrimp cocktails looked like an abstract sculpture that could grace the adjacent art museum. I had a delightful grilled salmon with a piquant teriyaki sauce, wild rice and a fresh vegetable medley. My wife had the chicken equivalent, with a salad she proclaimed "the best I ever ate."

The servers, who are also the actors, are friendly, ingratiating and
concerned. The proprietors have learned one secret of successful
operation, become an identity, a reality to the customers, poster
children for the club. So they are constantly on the move, chatting
with the crowd. Micromanaging every detail. It is also a team/family effort, the bosses pitching in to serve and bus the tables in the crowded room.

The show, which is brilliant, biting and bodacious, starts with a
satiric recognition of groups and celebrations in the room. A duo
sings, "So it's your friggin' birthday. SO WHAT?" They go on to
anniversaries and other occasions and close with the line, "So you think that you are special, well yourre wrong." It's the sort of mild comic putdown that sets the tone for the evening. To their credit, the club has eschewed the smut. There is some sassy double entendre, but never outright profanity. Example: in a news flash, they state that photos have been found showing Mickey Mouse in full frontal nudity, real proof that "It's a small world after all."

There is a riotous road rage number called "I Drive on 95," with a
helmeted Ramboesque female in full battle mode. Our server, John, sang a reverent refrain to his true love, "Condoleeza..." The numbers are original and the lyrics clever, like "Condoleeza, I'll gladly give you my Visa." There is the plight of the modern girl in I'm Available, three young matrons ogling Chippendale dancers in "Oh, my God," and a paean called "Smoking on the Sidewalk," which turns into a fog machine extravaganza. There is a scathing indictment of Lawyers, with lines like, "Descended from worms, they evolved into firms." They proclaim that lesbians are now in vogue and offer a "Lesbians Hall of Fame."

One of the cleverest bits of the evening is a dazzling, tongue-twisting backwards monologue on President Bush and Congress by
host Mark Wells, a strong and seasoned performer. He also fares well in "I Just Want a Plain Cup of Coffee." And the list goes on and on, getting funnier and funnier. Credit for the material goes to Paul Lewis, Janice Estey and other unnamed writers. Grammy Award Nominee, Nicholas White lends excellent support on keyboard and lights.

Laffing Matterz has what it takes. All it needs is an audience. So for all of you individuals and organizations who complain there is
nothing new under the South Florida sun, get off your butt and start booking. We all could use a good laugh.

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