Laughing all the way to the island

A night with the Bit Players will chase those winter blues away

By Christy Nadalin
Posted 2/4/18

There's not much that can warm up a dark winter's night like a good laugh — and with February (and a pretty cold winter) upon us, an evening with The Bit Players is just the antidote. If you've …

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Laughing all the way to the island

A night with the Bit Players will chase those winter blues away

Posted

There's not much that can warm up a dark winter's night like a good laugh — and with February (and a pretty cold winter) upon us, an evening with The Bit Players is just the antidote. If you've seen them, you know, and if you haven't, you need to know that they are RI's most award-winning comedy troupe, and they are masters of improv, presented as a series made-up-on-the-spot comedic "bits."

They model their shows after the hit TV show "Whose Line is it Anyway?" (currently enjoying a revival on the CW network.) With a wide repertoire of bits, including skits, games, and musical numbers, the wild card is audience participation — meaning no two shows are ever the same, and the comedy you see on stage has not been rehearsed. It's that unpredictability that makes the experience as fun and energizing for the cast as it does for the audience.

Who are these fearless geniuses? The Bit Players cast members are just like you and me (besides their nerves of steel and ability to put themselves on stage with no real sense of what might come out of their mouths next.) They live in our communities, work day jobs ranging from real estate to education, to public finance. And every Friday and Saturday night, a small group of them convene at the cozy Firehouse Theater in Newport to laugh along with an intimate audience. There is truly not a bad seat in the house.

Frank Fusaro, a Westerly native who lives in Portsmouth, is the group's artistic director as well as a regular performer. He's been with the Bit Players since 2009 when he was brought in by the Firehouse owners after a split in the troupe left a small cast that wasn't exactly ready for prime time.

"We worked hard and eventually started doing our shows every Friday and Saturday night at 8 p.m.," said Frank. "I told the theater owners that we were going to be doing improv full-time….they didn't put up much of a fight since our short form fast-paced shows were doing well and were gaining some momentum. From there we started holding auditions and attracted some of the most talented people I've ever worked with over the years."

As show runner, Frank's strength is in interacting with the crowd, but he admits it doesn't always go smoothly. "It can blow up in my face from time to time," he says. "I once congratulated a woman for being pregnant who wasn't."

At the other end of the longevity spectrum is player Isabella Panagakos, a Middletown resident originally from Winstead, Connecticut who just started with the group in November. As a new cast member, she doesn't really have time to worry about being nervous….she's bravely taking the stage with a bigger fear. "I'm still waiting for the moment when I become funny," she claims — proving she's already got it.

How did Jarrod Pimental of Portmouth, who lives in Newport, end up doing improv? "I had just moved back to the island after college and grad school and needed a creative outlet that would impress single ladies," he said. "Thankfully, the group gave me a shot." It worked, on both fronts. Now a 9 year veteran of the Players, one of Jarrod's most outspoken performances was also one of his finest, when a bachelorette party came to the show back in 2011. "The bachelorette, who was from New Hampshire, was marrying the best man from her first wedding. Needless to say, this was improv comedy gold. Long story short, 7 years later, I'm married to the maid of honor from that bachelorette party." Unlike most of his castmates, Jarrod is blessed with a skill that makes improv less frightening than it would be for mere mortals. "I was born with a complete lack of shame and embarrassment," he said. "Occasionally, I drop some truly horrific stories or jokes on the crowd and do not even realize I've said something blasphemous until the rest of the troupe lets me know."

Unlike Jarrod, North Carolina native and Newport resident Elizabeth Stepp, who has been with the Bit Players for a year, isn't impervious to an attack of nerves. "It tends to come out when someone I know is in the crowd and seeing me perform for the first time, or when I play a bit for the first time," she said. "I can get a little nervous in rehearsal, being surrounded by seasoned improvisers can be intimidating. But the cast is awesome, friendly and so encouraging."

Likewise, 4-year veteran Annemarie Holly of Barrington, originally from New Jersey, admits there's always excitement that comes along with getting on stage. "I find myself most nervous when there are people that I know attending a show," she said. "It's an added pressure to be funny, which ends up just getting into my head and making me very nervous."

Virginia native and Portsmouth resident Ryan Patrick Murtha has been with the Bit Players for 14 months; he's an instructor at the Surface Warfare Officer School who does mini-documentary work, and is currently transferring to the reserves so he can return to film school and focus on directing. "I always get nervous, because I want to do well," he said. "Generally that two hours before a show my stomach starts to rebel and tells my brain to stop what I am about to do." Murtha says his nerves stop once the show starts — except, perhaps the time when he split his pants along the inseam and had to continue to perform on stage for another whole hour.

One bit player who never fails to stand out is Vlad Tenenbaum, who has been with the troupe for 12 years. The Portsmouth resident emigrated to the United States from Moscow in 1981. Trained in pantomime since the age of 13, Vlad's incredibly expressive performances are the highlight of any Bit Players show in which he has a part. But it's his ability to improvise in a language that is clearly not his first, that impresses and endears him to audiences. It brings to mind the saying about Ginger Rogers doing everything Fred Astaire did, only backwards, in heels. He admits that at times, it's felt like never ending embarrassment — but in a good way.

He credits Frank, and his ability to get the best out of everybody in the cast. "I was very shy, but Frank turned it around and told me to go with it, and make no excuses," Vlad said. "If you make a mistake, you don't apologize for it. You embrace it. It becomes part of your character. And the audience is on your side."

The Bit Players perform at 8 p.m. every Friday and Saturday night, at the Firehouse Theater, 4 Equality Park Pl., in Newport. Check schedules and buy tickets at Bitplayers.net, or call 401/849-3473 for more information.



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