Posted by chicagomedia.org on August 24, 2008 at 07:32:35:
Radio's glory days of comedy are relived
Collecting recordings of old radio shows -- from dramas to comedies -- has been a longtime hobby of Jeffery B. Small's.
"Radio drama is theater of the mind," the 49-year-old said. "It's a theater where your imagination allows you to experience the performance rather than seeing the performance. Everything is created from the actor's voice and the sound effects that are used."
Small now is creating that type of theater himself.
Small is directing Elgin Theatre Company's A Comedy Spectacular featuring highlights of many old-time radio comedy shows. The play premieres tonight. The cast includes Mark Rosenthal, Larry Allen, Paul Safyan, Sharon Cuneo, Beth Small, Jim Koko and Daniel Radcliff.
Producer Herb Gross said Elgin Theatre Company officials had discussed different options for its summer production before deciding to re-enact the old-time radio programs, specifically comedy shows. He remembers listening to radio shows as a young child.
The comedy tradition really started with radio and "the jokes still stand the test of time," Gross said.
Small sorted through his collection of radio shows, such as The Jack Benny Program, to find comedy gems. His fascination with radio began at age 13. Small remembers sitting in his bedroom listening to Mystery Theater on the radio. He now has a large collection that he drew upon to develop the two-hour play.
Radio's early years consisted of news reels, but the format changed around the 1920s to feature dramas and then comedy shows, Small said. From there, serialized shows started, including children's stories, romance, horror and fiction adventure, he said.
"Some were like soap operas," he said.
Jack Benny got his start on radio, then became one of television's first stars, he said. Radio shows such as The Lone Ranger also became television serials.
Small's goal was to re-enact the comedy skits down to the smallest detail to make audience members feel as if they were living through the original broadcast. He chose some of the most famous comedy skits, including Abbott and Costello's Who's on First and The Bickersons, originally created by Don Ameche and Francis Langford. The Bickersons skit is about a husband's raucous snoring that wakes up his wife and leads to a late-night argument. "It's an extremely funny sketch to do," Small said.
Small also chose something from the Marx Brothers and several sketches from Bob and Ray, featuring Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding.
Six actors will perform multiple roles in A Comedy Spectacular, roles that sometimes will require impersonations. This presents a bigger challenge than a regular play, Small said. In a regular play, the actor can concentrate on one particular part. For radio, the actors are performing several parts.
"The biggest thing was the sound effects and how to create the sound effects," Small said.
Radio shows relied on sounds to create a scene. To recreate the experience, Small will make his own sound effects using a wind machine, chains for rattling and a small door for opening and closing.
"We could cheat and use sound effects recordings," Small said, "but I wanted to go for the original (feel of) it."
(Elgin Courier News)