Kids In The Hall return as middle-aged men to Montreal's comedy f est

Published Monday July 16th, 2007

TORONTO (CP) - The Kids in the Hall are not so much kids anymore.

Try middle-aged men, says the comedy troupe's co-founder Dave Foley, his soft features now framed by grey hair. It's been more than 12 years since the groundbreaking quintet redefined comedy with their off-beat sketch show, but their trademark dark streak is still there, he says.

Writing sessions to drum up all-new material for an upcoming stage show proved that heartily, says Foley, noting that the brainstorming stints were very similar to the group's creative patterns in those early days.

"There's usually one point where we sit back and look at the material and go, 'Wow, is this show way too dark?' 'Or is it way too dirty?' " Foley says by phone during a recent stop in Toronto.

"Which is the question we've been asking each other for 25 years. And then we go, 'Oh, well, that's what we wrote.' "

Homosexuals, serial killers, the clinically insane - there were few topics that were off-limits to Foley and his crew during an acclaimed run in the early '90s that earned them a cult-like following in Canada and the United States.

Their string of off-kilter characters included Bruce McCulloch's misogynist Cabbage Head, Mark McKinney's sex-crazed Chicken Lady, Kevin McDonald's unreliable Dean (The King of Empty Promises), Scott Thompson's outrageous gay socialite Buddy Cole, and Foley's affable axe murderer.

This week, the troupe brings a slate of all-new material to the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal.

But there are few old favourites returning, save for Buddy Cole, and perhaps some "head-crushing," says Foley, referring to McKinney's bitter Mr. Tyzik, a nasal-voiced man who pretends to crush people's heads with his fingers.

"We decided it would be more fun to get up and do brand new material," Foley says. "Part of it was just to see as a group, what kind of stuff we would write together, as middle-aged men."

Although reluctant to disclose what's in the show, Foley reveals the boys did find at least one topic still taboo.
"We had one piece we were going to do - a thing called, 'Happy 25th Anniversary AIDS,' " Foley states matter-of-factly.

"Which I think we wound up abandoning. We may bring it back."

One fan who caught a preview at a small club in L.A. last month reports that new bits include sketches called Futon Love and Time Machine, while McCulloch offered up a monologue entitled, "What I would say to Nicole Richie to make her like me."

"This included putting a picture of a blade of grass on her refrigerator for 'thinspiration,' and he would tell her she's fat," 31-year-old Stephanie Sanchez writes on her entertainment site, www.iesb.net .

These days, all five of the kids live in L.A., and it's the first time in 12 years they've all lived in the same city, notes Foley.

But much has changed since their show ended in 1994. They reunited two years later for the feature film "Brain Candy," which received a lukewarm response from critics but was embraced by hardcore fans. From there, they largely went their separate ways.

After finding success starring as the straight man on NBC's "News Radio," Foley now hosts "Celebrity Poker Showdown." He'd like to return to a regular series, he says, noting he'll mostly likely try to pitch some shows for the upcoming season.

"We'll see what happens. Usually nothing," he says.

Returning to TV this fall, albeit behind the scenes, is McCulloch, who wrote and produced ABC's upcoming sitcom "Carpoolers." The Edmonton-born comic has also found success as a movie director, calling the shots on comic features including "Dog Park" and "Superstar".

McDonald, whose TV guest-spots have included "Seinfeld," "That '70s Show," and "Arrested Development," heads to Montreal with a one-man show in addition to the Kids collaboration. "Hammy and the Kids" is an autobiographical account of growing up with an alcoholic father.

Thompson has found guest spots in various films and TV shows including a short-lived stint on the Canadian reality show "My Fabulous Gay Wedding." Since the demise of "Kids" he's probably best known, however, as the gay personal assistant to Hank Kingsley on HBO's "The Larry Sanders Show."

McKinney, meanwhile, has sharpened his writing skills on shows including the Gemini-award winning "Slings and Arrows," and NBC's "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," following a three-year stint on Saturday Night Live as a writer and performer.

The Kids In the Hall perform three shows in Montreal on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. "Hammy and The Kids" runs until Sunday.

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