Tommy Davidson shows to tickle Funny Bone
9/26/2013Tommy Davidson, who headlines at Funny Bone Comedy Club at Levis Commons for three nights beginning Friday, has pretty much done it all, from TV to movies to stand-up comedy.
He was one of the original stars of the 1990s hit TV show In Living Color, appearing with Jamie Foxx, Jim Carrey, and Damon Wayans. As a young stand-up comic he opened for such touring stars as Kenny G and Patti LaBelle. Davidson's film debut came in 1991's Strictly Business, starring Halle Berry, and he appeared in Carrey’s Ace Ventura II: When Nature Calls, Spike Lee's Bamboozled, and as Cream Corn in Black Dynamite, a 2009 film comedy and now an Adult Swim animated TV series. Earlier this year he hosted the Chocolate Sundaes Comedy Show special on Showtime; it's now on DVD.
What can Toledo audiences expect from Davidson's show? We'll have to wait and see. "I'm not easy to define," Davidson said. His inspiration could come from our culture, politics, or relationships, but public figures also play a role -- Davidson is known for his impressions, and right now one of his favorites is of President Obama. "The way he talks. ... He's the most popular man on earth right now ... so I'm able to mimic all that."
But, Davidson has our city's back. Toledo, which he said is one of the cities that built this country, should be proud of its manufacturing strength. "[Toledo] directly contributed to the nation, and the nation should return that'' economically, he said emphatically.
His current projects include a second season of the Black Dynamite TV series, and producing and starring in a film about Sammy Davis, Jr., who also inspired favorite impressions.
Davidson appears at Funny Bone Comedy Club at the Fat Fish Blue restaurant, 6140 Levis Commons Blvd., in Levis Commons in Perrysburg, tomorrow at 8 and 10:30 p.m.; Saturday at 7 and 10 p.m., and Sunday at 7 p.m. Tickets, which range from $22 to $27, may be purchased by calling 419-931-3474, or online at www.toledofunnybone.com.
ROCKY HORROR SHOW
The Rocky Horror Show, a cult-classic musical that was the inspiration for the hit 1975 film The Rocky Horror Picture Show, comes to the River Raisin Centre for the Arts stage, 114 S. Monroe St., Monroe, for three performances beginning tomorrow. With its legendary music and hard-to-forget characters, the musical, which premiered in London in 1973 with music, lyrics, and book by Richard O'Brien, continues to build a loyal audience.
This production marks the sixth season for the River Raisin Centre's Rocky Horror Show. Tracy Glover, who directs and stars, says the Centre's audience gets bigger every year as fans of the show return, bringing their friends.
The story is about two clean-cut kids, Brad Majors and Janet Weiss, who are stranded in a storm and seek help when they see a light down the road. Unfortunately, the light is coming from the place where Dr. Frank N Furter works on his maniacal experiments, including his newest creation, Rocky Horror. In the River Raisin Centre performances, the leads will be played by Nick Whittaker as Dr. Frank N Furter, Dylan Jablonski as Rocky Horror, Tracy Glover as Janet Weiss, and Tim Middleton as Brad Majors.
Adding to the shows' party atmosphere is a live band that will play during the show, including a pre-show warm-up.
The Rocky Horror Show, for mature audiences, is being sponsored by Quality Inn and Suites. Performances are tomorrow at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 8 pm and 11:59 pm. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online at riverraisincentre.org, by calling 734-242-7722, and at the door. Seating is general admission.
PROOF
The Williams County Community Theater's production of Proof, a Tony Award-winning (2001) drama, should add up to an entertaining evening for theater-goers when the show opens tomorrow at the Little Theater Off the Square, 208 West Butler St. in Bryan.
The story begins immediately after the death of Robert, a brilliant but mentally troubled mathematician who had been cared for by his daughter, Catherine. She had given up her own ambitions to help him during his illness. Hal, a former graduate student of Robert's, soon finds a ground-breaking mathematic proof in his mentor's office. The pivotal question: who is the author of the proof, Catherine or her late father?
Jeremy Scott, director of the Williams County Community Theater production, said Catherine must deal with grief over her father's death, and worry that she may have inherited his illness. "The focus is on her being afraid of turning out like her father mentally" he said.
The cast includes Williams County area residents Loni Scott as Catherine; Dave Swanson as Robert; Kevin Devers as Hal, and Courtney Montagu-Miller as Claire, Catherine's sister.
Show times are tomorrow, Saturday, and Oct. 3, 4, and 5 at 8 p.m., and Oct. 6 at 2:30. Tickets are $11 and are available by calling 419-636-6400, online at www.mywcct.com, or at the door.
Contact Sue Brickey at: sbrickey@theblade.com