Fritz Coleman’s DEFYING GRAVITY
Fritz Coleman’s DEFYING GRAVITY is a hilarious look at the comical calamities of aging. It’s for the delight of Baby Boomers and all those who hope to become part of the 50-plus crowd. Coleman reminds everyone, “Getting old isn’t pretty, but it sure is funny.”
Los Angeles’ beloved NBC4 weatherman, Coleman is bringing his one-man stage-show back to the historic El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood for two 2 p.m. performances only—Sunday, October 9 and Sunday, November 27, 2016.
Coleman gave audiences belly laughs last year in the El Portal’s intimate Monroe Theatre. Now his expanded show will be on the El Portal Theatre’s Mainstage, for two matinee performances.
“I’m happy to do matinees, no intermission, so the Baby Boomers can get home before dark. The show presents an hour-and-a-half of laughing hard and reflecting on what it’s like getting older. It’s really a lot of fun to recognize our shared experiences,” Fritz said. “It could be called a Baby Boomer support group.”
The show resonates with people, and Fritz has observed, “Every generation has a similar feeling as they look back, hence the term ‘good old days.’ But these days we’re living through global threats and national politics, and people are thinking ‘what the heck’s going on.’ So I find that my show seems to crackle with people now because it harkens back to a time when life seemed more cut and dry, less complicated, and a little easier to cope with. So I provide a little nostalgia and fun.”
Coleman said, “I have no delusions about what my comedy is. I’m not Lenny Bruce or George Carlin. I’m not trying to push the first amendment envelope. I’m not trying to educate people politically. I don’t do political jokes. Honestly, my whole wish is to give people a show where they say ‘That just felt good. Thank you, it was cathartic.’ The highest compliment for me is hearing that I’ve taken you out of your present cares, made you laugh and feel better. If that happens, I’ve done my job.”
“Defying Gravity” showcases the comedy skills Coleman has honed doing his stand-up routines in clubs over the decades. As he wrote the show he performed pieces of it in nightclubs around the country and discovered that the material was funny for everyone. “I would tell audiences, ‘If you’re not quite the age I’m talking about, just use my life as a cautionary tale,’” he explained. That framed the material that has had mothers and daughters laughing side by side, and multi-generations enjoying the funny observations of days gone by.
Among the humorous subjects he tackles– aches, pains and medicine, plus seniors dating and what that does to the ego. He also delves into the frustration with technology. “For the older demographics, life speeds up but we slow down, and so our ability to absorb all the changes, which are happening faster and faster, become slower and slower. There’s nothing that makes you feel older then things being so technical that you can’t figure them out.”
This is Coleman’s fourth one-man show. His other shows have run the spectrum of subject matters. With “It’s Me Dad,” he wrote his own obit as a video-taped love letter to his children; “The Reception” tackled relationship, spotlighting just about every type of couple there is; and “News at 11,” was a very funny but also sharp commentary on how the news is manipulated.
So what’s next? Coleman explained, “‘Defying Gravity’ is about what I’m living at this moment, and I’d like to take this 90-minute theatrical piece as far as I can. My ultimate goal is to take it all over North America, plugging it into theater schedules. This year I started doing that. I’ve been taking it around the country—to Hilton Head, South Carolina; Madison, Wisconsin; Phoenix. And I’m getting invited by other venues, small and medium size theaters. So my dream has come to fruition.”
Fritz Coleman’s s DEFYING GRAVITY, at the El Portal Theatre, 5269 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, Sunday, Oct. 9 at 2 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 27 at 2 p.m. For tickets and information call 818-508-4200, or go to www.elportaltheatre.com. #
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