Hall To Stage Duo's Bawdy Play

Having a show banned in one Jersey Shore town and threatened with closure in another should it get too "obscene" can be a sort of badge of courage for a comic team. From Lenny Bruce to George Carlin, comedians have attracted followings and media attention with controversial material.

Baus & Troche, the comedy duo who begin previews for their new show, "Tempting Fate," at Guild Hall next Thursday, aren't known for sidestepping serious or sensitive issues.

"Candid Tandems," the show that won them notice and notoriety in Bay Head and Maplewood, N.J., contained a sketch called "Safe Sex." The two comedians, Ted Baus and Debbie Troche, played fifth-graders talking about sex for a class show-and-tell project, including the strange rituals of adult mating. Props included a cucumber and condoms - that, above all, was what turned the good people of Bay Head against Baus & Troche.

Gushing Praise

The show went on to receive a good deal of attention and critical acclaim despite, or in some cases because of, their reception in New Jersey. Raves poured in - from New York Newsday, The Village Voice, The New York Post.

"They tackle the things that bother them," wrote Blake Green of Newsday, ". . . in the best laughter-is-the-best-elixir manner." The Voice praised the duo for its "unnerving alacrity." "From the opening number of their brilliant new show . . . Ted Baus and Debbie Troche hold the audience . . . in the palms of their incisively funny hands," gushed The New York Post reviewer after seeing "Candid Tandems."

Whether playing twins in the womb talking about their hesitation to join the outside world, an executive supermom, or a horny Latin boy confused about his sexuality, Mr. Baus and Ms. Troche have gained a reputation for the humorous characters they create and portray.

Oedipal Comedy

"Tempting Fate," which will have its premiere at Guild Hall on Aug. 20, is full of such characters. All 10 in this modern-day Oedipal comedy - which Guild Hall's president expects to be the sleeper hit of the summer - are played by Ms. Troche and Mr. Baus.

The show spoofs the pillars of contemporary pop culture from TV talk shows and game shows to 1960s films to Madonna. At its center is Eddie Jaffe, a Hollywood producer who was left on the nunnery steps by his actress mother shortly after birth.

"Who is it that talks about the root of all tragedy being the source of all comedy?" Rod Kaats, the director of "Tempting Fate," asked Monday.

The show also features Sister AnnMargaret, a nun dying for a TV career, Eddie's adoptive parents, a pair of Catskills comics, and a number of other quirky personalities.

Eddie goes to Hollywood and meets his real father, a producer, at an audition and feels instant dislike. At the same time, he has always been in love with the actress who is, unbeknownst to him, his real mother, who gave him up to pursue her acting career. And the plot unfolds.

"They all have their noses up against the glass, they're all trying too hard to get over in this culture," Mr. Kaats explained.

In Sophocles' classic drama "Oedipus Rex," the characters strive for power; in this play they want celebrity. Rather than kings and queens, they're producers, actors, small-time comedians, and wannabe personalities.

"Sort Of Bawdy"

"It's a very, very fun, sort of bawdy show that's great for the East End," Brigitte Blachere of Guild Hall said.

"Bawdy" is a word that turns up a lot in descriptions of the comedy. One of the first things Mr. Kaats asked Guild Hall's president, Henry Korn, was, "Do you think it's too bawdy?"

"Naughty's another word," Mr. Kaats laughed. While he said it does "push the envelope," he was sure to emphasize that, whatever it is, "Tempting Fate" is not obscene. Weird maybe. Quirky certainly. But not obscene.

Mr. Kaats has been fine-tuning the comedy with Ms. Troche and Mr. Baus for a little over a year, but it's been in the works for five or six years.

"Tempting Fate" has been read to invited audiences at the New York Theater Workshop, but Baus & Troche haven't performed it for a public audience yet.

Decade Of Performing

Mr. Baus, who is from Brooklyn, and Ms. Troche, a Queens native, have known each other since high school. They began writing and performing comedy together in 1988.

They arrived in East Hampton yesterday with Mr. Kaats to begin dealing with staging and other technical issues on site at Guild Hall.

The set will be very simple. Mr. Kaats wants it to feel as if the play is "sort of being pulled out of a trunk." All the focus will be on Mr. Baus's and Ms. Troche's cast of characters.

"Tempting Fate" will open at Guild Hall on Aug. 20 and run through Aug. 25.