'Joey Gladstone' brings standup act to town

From left, Leah Pitman, Meggie Mello, Levi Myers and Autumn Pelok - Mama Locks, Goldie Locks, Papa Locks and Raven Locks - in a production of "Porridgegate" by the Archbold Community Theatre.

Dave Coulier, who is best known for his role as Joey Gladstone on the former ABC family sitcom Full House, will be filling the house Friday and Saturday at Connxtions Comedy Club.

"I'm very choosy about where I go. I go to places where I really like the people. My friends have asked me, 'Why the heck are you going to Toledo?' I said I went there once and had a really good time," Coulier said in a recent phone interview from Los Angeles.

In his prolific professional life, he is a stand-up comedian, actor, impressionist, voice actor, and television host.

Coulier hosted ABC's former America's Funniest People from 1991 to 1994. He's also had gigs hosting The World's Funniest Videos and his own Nickelodeon series Out of Control. Now he hosts Animal Planet's Animal Kidding.

He's provided the voice for several Saturday morning cartoons including Scooby-Doo and the re-syndicated version of The Jetsons. His vocal versatility has been a hit with Jim Henson's muppets, too.

He became the voice for Animal and Dr. Bunsen Honeydew in the former Muppet Babies show and has given voice to Waldorf and Statler -- the balcony guys from the Muppet Show.

Coulier's stand-up comedy has earned him spots on The Tonight Show, HBO's Detroit Comedy Jam and Comic Relief. It's the venue he started in while in his teens and is still one of his favorites today.

"It's the freedom to be able to say something at night that you've written that day. Unlike acting, it's my own words; not someone else's."

Dave Coulier will perform at 8 and 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Connxtions Comedy Club, 5319 Heatherdowns Blvd. Tickets are $21. Information: 419-867-9041 or connxtionscomedyclub.com.

Fractured Fairy Tale

ARCHBOLD -- Scandal soars through Wychwood Forest this weekend in Archbold Community Theatre children's production of Charlie Lovett's Porrridgegate.

"It's almost so stupid, it's funny," said director Teresa Van Sickle. "It's a show that incorporated several different fairy tale characters based around the story of the three bears."

This fractured fairy tale begins when Ursula Bear's porridge is stolen. Meggie Mello as Goldie Locks ends up in jail, but was she framed? How do the three little pigs -- Seth Short as Oscar Meyer, his twin brother Jesse as Jimmy Dean, and Anneli Shaw as Frances Bacon -- fit into this story?

The cast of 25 keeps Van Sickle on her toes, not to mention there are two sets of twins in the cast. Seth and Jesse. who play two of the three pigs, have appeared as Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum in last year's production of Alice in Wonderland Jr. as well as other shows.

Fraternal twins William and Kate Nofziger play the crime-stopping duo of Sherlock McGarrett and Danielle Hoover, respectively, Van Sickle said. Working with twins creates an interesting dynamic. "The identical ones are very similar where our other set of twins both like theater, but they have very different personalities and end up working together."

The 75-minute show is something new for Archbold. "It's something that hasn't been done over and over again. The show really doesn't teach any lessons, but it is so corny that we are hoping it will make people laugh."

"Porridgegate," an Archbold Community Theatre children's production, will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday through Oct. 6 and at 2:30 p.m. Oct. 7 in Giffey Hall, 20369 County Rd. X, Ridgeville Corners, Ohio. Advance tickets are $8 for adults and $7 for seniors and students. Tickets at the door are $10. Information: 419-267-5717; archboldcommunitytheatre.com.

'Proof'

A young woman fears she will follow her father's fateful journey to mental illness this weekend when Lourdes University Drama Society presents David Auburn's Proof in the Franciscan Center Theatre.

Catherine, who has inherited some of her father's mathematical brilliance, worries she also will develop his madness. She attempts to stay in control when her estranged sister and one of her father's former students arrive. Catherine tries to prove a notebook with calculations assumed to belong to her father is hers.

This drama won the 2001 Tony Award for Best Play, opening on Broadway in October, 2000, and closing January, 2003, after 917 performances. It also won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

"Proof," presented by the Lourdes University Drama Society, will be performed at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday in the Franciscan Center Theatre, 6832 Convent Blvd., Sylvania. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for seniors. Information: 419-824-3999 or www.lourdes.edu.

Send theater items at least two weeks in advance to jnjaim@theblade.com.