at the Horton Grand Theatre, San Diego, CA
"Triple Espresso" has become a bit of an institution, playing to sold out houses in Minneapolis, Chicago, Seattle, Sarasota, and now San Diego, and it's easy to see why: it's good wholesome family fun, performed by top notch performers in a slick production. It's a safe theater bet if you have the money. There is something for everyone in this show; comedy, singing, magic, dance, vaudeville, wonderful zaniness and a feel good easy going manner that permeates the entire production.
The story is silly: Hugh Butternut is celebrating his 25th anniversary as the house entertainer at Triple Espresso, a coffeehouse, and he use the occasion for a surprise reunion of his old comedy team, "Maxwell, Butternut and Bean". In flashbacks, they relate what happen to the ill-fated trio and why they have been out of touch for 25 years while performing some of their old routines.
While the story serves well as a skeleton to hang the comedy bits on, as a whole it never truly works. And while the three performers I saw were very skilled and funny, they never truly clicked as an ensemble. I left wishing I had seen the original cast members doing what seems to be their own very personal material.
There are quite a few inspired comedy routines, including the truly funny "We're naked - - and we dance!" standard from vaudeville days which include three fully clothed performers holding 6 pieces of strategically placed pieces of paper over their hearts and their privates, and as they dance they switch the papers faster and faster until the papers begin to fly, and soon one of the performers is left "naked" without a piece of paper, and the result is uproarious laughter from the audience. It very well might be worth the price of admission, and it certainly beats 95% of the comedy on TV.
But at 35 bucks a pop, I gotta say, not really. Go if you need to impress a boss or an in-law, or if you want to bring your grandparents or your nieces, go if you want a good chuckle at what we as a society used to think was funny (during a summer where "South Park" and "American Pie" rule the movie houses) but don't go if you want to see great theater.
"TRIPLE ESPRESSO"
Written and originally performed by Bill Arnold, Michael Pearce Donley and Bob Stromberg, Directed by William Partlan, at the Horton Grand Theatre, 444 4th Ave, Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego, CA, open run. (619) 234-9583 $29 - 35.