Lizard kings of comedy
Super troopers take their act on the road
By Chris Jay 09/17/2009
Comedy troupes are a lot like rock bands. You’ve got to maintain multiple relationships, share any income that’s gathered, make sure all are carrying their weight creatively, and above all, keep the mutual dream alive. Suffice it to say, it’s a small nightmare, and when the going gets tough, usually everyone involved gets going. Almost every successful team, from the Three Stooges to the Kids in the Hall, has split up at some point. There are exceptions, however, and the members of Broken Lizard are hoping to be one.
Broken Lizard are best known as the stars and writers of the modern cult comedy films Super Troopers and Beer Fest. The five-man outfit includes Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Hefferman, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter and Erik Stolhanske. They met and began as a sketch comedy group at Colgate University in 1990.
After relocating together to New York City to head into the performance and comedy club circuit, the Lizards almost accidentally entered the film world when a New York University student worked with the group on a short film called The Tinfoil Monkey Agenda. Its minor success on the film festival circuit inspired the group to focus less on live performances and concentrate on film. That decision led to Puddle Cruiser, their feature-length film debut. Paid for entirely by the group, using family loans and Chandrasekhar, who used large cash advances from credit card companies that mistook him for a doctor, the film went on to win a jury prize at the Hampton Film Festival and was also accepted to the prestigious Sundance Film Festival.
Broken Lizard’s breakthrough came with their next film, Super Troopers. Filmed for a modest budget and backed only by an investor as opposed to a studio, it was a Sundance Film Festival hit and picked up by Fox Searchlight, which released it to theaters. The film, about a group of bored highway patrolmen, featured the gang’s outlandish and often profane physical comedy and became a massive hit with teenage and college-aged crowds, going on to sell more than 5 million copies on DVD.
The success of Super Troopers opened a floodgate of opportunities. Two more big-budget studio pictures followed, with Club Dread and Beer Fest, and Chandrasekhar directed the critically panned but hugely successful Dukes of Hazzard remake, which his fellow Lizards all appeared in and co-wrote. In addition, all members have been involved in their own acting, writing and directing careers.
What’s eluded the group, however, since their success in film, has been what they originally set out to do when they first formed in college, to be a performance group. That’s about to change, though, with their first ever live tour. To help promote the release of their new film, The Slammin’ Salmon, the Lizards are taking their show on the road for more than 40 dates across the country including a stop at the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills.
“It’s something we’ve always wanted to do,” explains Lizard Steve Lemme. “The success from the movies has enabled us to do it. We always thought it’d be the other way around. We do some individual stand-up, some sketches together, we break out some characters from the movies. It’s a wide range of comedy in one show. Definitely not for the kids though.”
Despite the various non-Lizard projects, do they feel they’ll be able to keep their success and group together for the long haul?
“We weren’t assembled by some master mind, Lemme says. “We’re friends first. Anyone who’s bonded together to do something are bound to hit a really low point. Most people break up at the point. If you do get past that, it’s easy to stay together. We’ve seen success go to people’s heads and change them. Even people we’ve worked with. We’re lucky that we’ve got five guys to keep each other in check.”
Broken Lizard performs Thursday, Sept. 17, at The Canyon Club, 28912 Roadside Drive, Agoura Hills. For more information, visit www.canyonclub.net and www.brokenlizard.com.
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