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Things are “Squishy” at the MadLab

By Clemencia Marshall

Your sides are aching, tears are streaming down your face and you are out of breath. If you laugh any harder you are probably going to wet yourself. Sperm whale and cricket comments fly out at random from the stage and you are wondering if you will have a headache from all of the laughing. All in all, though, there is nothing like a good sketch comedy show.

“Squishy!” an improvisational comedy show will be staged by MadLab on Jan. 9 and 10. With humor that can range anywhere from crude to so-funny-you-can’t-stop-laughing, the best way to describe the performance is by a quote from the Web site that reads “Squishy! creates a high-energy show that God Himself hailed as ‘not a complete waste of My time.’" “Squishy!” is a group of ten people who, as quoted from the Web site, “Each have his or her own cute little psychological disorder.”

The comedy troupe came together in 2006 and has since grown. The “Sperm Whale” skit in which one of the troupe members literally asks a fictional whale “If I shoot you, will sperm come out?” gets more than a chuckle from some while others don’t know whether to laugh or not. What happens next is simply hilarious. A few of the group come out and “clean up” the sperm whale mess. A fan favorite is the woman who dives onto the stage screaming “Damn it! I need that sperm!”

While some of the sketches get mixed reviews from the crowd such as “I have herpes”, it gets to a point in which most of the people just really are confused. The “Squishy!” troupe, however, does its best in the situation and gets some laughs.

The ensemble itself is Maria del Carmen, Jodie Engle, Josh Greenwald, Lorinda Ostapuck, Bill Abo, Susan Sabo, James Walker, Carl Waters, Scott Wheeler and Sean Wheeler. If you ever find yourself in class or at work and need little humorous pick-me-up, read their bio’s on the “Squishy!”. A real gem is Susan Sabo’s: “Sue first contracted the Sqishyococcus Luminaudiobachyus microorganism when she became involved with a male partner who frequently engaged in unprotected improv. The first indications of acute S-LAB syndrome appeared in the form of a natural propensity to execute improv scenes.” What makes this cast even cooler is you get a little Ohio pride. Most of the people are either from Ohio or have lived here.

The show is Jan. 9 and Jan. 10 at MadLab on Grant Avenue. Tickets are $5 a piece and the show starts at 10:30 p.m. You can find out more about “Squishy!” at their website www.getsquishy.com or you can get more information from MadLab at www.madlab.net.

Originally Published: January 7, 2009

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