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“I think that people get really uptight
around Valentine’s Day because either they’re single and
they don’t have anybody or they feel pressure to be
involved,” Bonny said. “We just wanted to have a fun party,
to invite people, whether they were in relationships or not,
to come out and support us in our effort to make people
laugh.” He added about the Valentine holiday, “I think
especially with all of us, in terms of comedy, you have to
be able to laugh at yourselves.” |
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“I’m always happy to meet people,”
University of Chicago Medical School student Jesse Ehrenfeld
said of the event. He seemed thankful for the opportunity to
meet new people before the February 14th date deadline.
“It’s a few days before Valentine’s and the clock is
ticking. I’m always an optimist.” |
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Sitting at a table full of single medical
school students whom a Lovefest host had earlier pointed out
to the sweetheart-searching crowd, Ehrenfeld said of the
comedy troupe, “I had no idea [GayCo] existed before this.” |
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Quite a few other love-lookers
expressed a similar unfamiliarity with the
under-promoted comedy group. |
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GayCo has been performing
original sketch comedy productions with such titles
as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Teletubby,” “Everyone’s Coming
Out, Rosie” and “Whitney Houston, We Have a
Problem!” since the troupe was formed in 1996. |
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The group began when a former
Second City administrative director created an
experimental workshop. The original eight-week
experiment turned into a five-month production after
its popularity with gay and lesbian audiences forced
its repeated extension. |
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The four men and four women who now make
up the troupe have all been trained at Second City,
according to Bonny, and perform a variety of improvisation
and originally-produced materials. He said he hoped the
fundraiser would allow the group to produce one new show for
the summer, in addition to creating two new short films to
be shown at the nation’s gay and lesbian film festivals. |
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GayCo debuted their first such short film
at Tuesday night’s Lovefest entitled “Get a Gay.” The spoof
met with bursts of laughter from the jovial crowd when the
company broke out into song and dance that suggested
television executives could turn “their shows from pitts to
Perrier” by adding gay characters. |
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“The movie was really, really funny,”
piped the table of med students. “Now, we’re really anxious
to see one of their productions.” |
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Bonny said he was glad the movie was so
well received and that he hopes the company will make a jump
into cable television from the independent film ventures. He
suggested the company might be a good fit for a gay
television network now in the works, adding that GayCo would
soon be auditioning for HBO. |
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“Butch” Jarinic, the only straight member
of the troupe, was excited and a little cautious about the
upcoming audition. “We’ve auditioned for HBO before and,
unfortunately, we didn’t make it even though they loved us.”
She added, “This time, we want something to happen.” |
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GayCo’s Lovefest silently auctioned off
celebrity lip-prints, including Dan Castellaneta (“The
Simpsons”), Jim Belushi and Harold Ramis (“Analyze That,”
“Groundhog Day,” “Ghostbusters”) to help with their HBO bid.
A kissing booth in the corner of the restaurant advertised
smooches from cast members for $5 a piece. |
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At least one of the Lovefest-goers was in
the mood for a little sugar. More than willing to help GayCo
meet their goals and take the sweetheart candy’s “Kiss Me”
advice, the man jokingly pointed to the kissing booth and
asked, “I wonder what I can get for 10 bucks?” |
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GayCo’s audition for HBO will
be held on February 23 at 10:30 p.m. and is open to the
public. They will present their next seasonal production
in early summer. For more information on any of their
events, call (312) 458-9400. |
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