Laugh or I'll Take Off My Clothes Why does "for mature audiences only" always end up meaning bawdy humor and nakedness? The Fish Rap Live Andy Lochrie February 23, 2000 ScripTease epitomizes "mature" stage comedy. Here's an improvisational troupe whose members strip off an article of clothing every time they flub up a line - which is more than expected when you're dealing with unrehearsable, audience-suggestion based sketches. The troupe's most recent performances took place at the Arts League's Broadway Playhouse February 11 and 12 in a Valentine's themed show entitled, "Cupid Strikes." At the Saturday exhibition the Teasers, as they like to call themselves, didn't waste any time on the commencement of disrobing. The show started with a game of Strip Song. The cast of four males and 2 females organized themselves in a line facing the audience and asked for a familiar song title. "Louie, Louie!" someone yelled. The Teasers then sang five second shorts. The first Teaser sang the suggested song. The next sang a song containing a word common to the song sung previous, and so on. If a Teaser was stumped, they were out. But not before a collective exclamation from the audience: "Strip!" The last remaining Teaser survived the round fully clothed, but the other five had sacrificed three tops, a shoe and a belt. For reasons not fully clear, the male performers in the course of the show each revealed at least one article of women's clothing that they were hiding under their clothes. In the first game, Teaser Johnny Davis in taking off his shirt exposed a bra. One the more successful sketches played off the audience's suggestion of "hemorrhoids" in a scene called Narrated Story. ScripTease's only UCSC member, Kresge sophomore Jeff Perkins, narrated a tale in a grandfatherly voice of his exploits in the great war. "Not double-ya double-ya two...double-ya double-ya one!" The scene consisted of a series of acted out flash backs in which a young army man got tangled with in some barbed wire, taunted with a pop gun, soiled himself, ultimately developed a bad case of hemorrhoids and landed himself in the hospital. Five Letter Word was the game that forced the most stripping. The audience gave the troupe a five letter word. "Slick." The Teasers then said that every line they spoke in the scene would consist of a progressive letter in the word "slick." The difficulty in beginning every fifth word with the less common 'k' was solved with naming one of the characters Kristen. However, the audience nailed the Teasers every time the Teasers accidentally substituted a 'c' word for the 'k' sound. Stripping didn't detract too much from the scene, however, consisting of prostitutes fighting over a street corner. Flubs were followed by explanations, "It sure is hot tonight," as a top came off. By far, the most entertaining scene of the night was the last one, Couple's Dinner. The cast asked for a volunteer couple from the audience. A young daring pair jumped up on stage where they were each handed a bell and a buzzer. The two were asked then to select a cast member each to portray them on a date. If the Teaser said something that sounded like something their partner would say, they were instructed to ring the bell. If not, they were instructed to give the buzz. A mock date ensued. "Sorry, I'm late." Ding. "I'll have an iced tea." Buzz. "A beer." Buzz. "A Mountain Dew." Buzz. "I'll just have have some fresh air, thank you." Ding. Things started to get a little less obvious when the mock boyfriend started talking about the relationship." "I've been thinking a lot about us lately." ...Ding. "I think we should move in together." ...Ding? The mock girlfriend replied, "I think that's a great idea!" Buzz. "I think that's an awful idea." Buzz. "Well, you know my parents and the religion-." Buzz. "Someday that might be an excellent idea , but right now is just not that time." Ding. Since the scene occurred at the end of the show, the boyfriend character was played by a man in next to nothing - a pair of women's panties, with a dangling bell, no less. By the show's end, the audience seemed thoroughly satisfied. No one got completely naked, but that might have been a plus. All of the Teasers dress in sufficient layers to make it through the show, save for a couple rumored incidents of actual nudity at past shows. The small Broadway Playhouse maxes its approximate 70 person capacity and beyond each time ScripTease performs. There were people sitting on the floor, and still people were turned away for Friday and Saturday night. A large percentage of the audience consists of friends of the actors. "She doesn't take her clothes off in our kitchen," ScripTeaser Sara Lovelady's neighbor, Anna Wilks, commented in explanation of the different side of her friend that she gets to see at the show. "I'm just glad I wasn't one of the ones they called up to the stage," said timid viewer, Rico Parenti, visiting from Monterey. ScripTease was founded by Johnny Davis and Sara Lovelady in 1997 when they devised a way to make improv comedy a bit riskier. Now with two and a half years experience in the nuances of the comedy/stripping genre, Davis says the troupe is "the strongest we've been." ScripTease will bring their zany style to Kresge Town Hall April 29 at the price of $3 for students, $6 otherwise. You can't go wrong with a show that responds to its weak points with nakedness. It's just a can't miss formula.