By Dan Lalande (The man about whom the Ottawa Citizen's Jay Stone coined the phrase a "his head's like a Rolodex of jokes. " He's since come to hate this description so we thought we'd throw him a nice dry assignment like this.)

STEPHEN HAWKING'S "A BRIEF HISTORY OF COMEDY"
THE SEVENTIES: Next to Toronto, no other city in the province enjoyed as healthy a folk scene as Ottawa, home of Le Hibou, the seminal folk club that featured the likes of Bruce Cockburn, Joni Mitchell, David Wiffen and Neil Young. No doubt the odd comic insinuated themselves in between the folk acts, but it would be a long time before Ottawa got its first all comedy venue.

1977 to be exact. That's when Hiccups opened its doors on Rideau street. A West End counterpart, Andy And Flo's (named after the embattled couple in the "Andy Capp" comic strip) sprung up shortly thereafter. Patrons of the club scene back then might remember when Hiccups brought Jimmie "J.J." Walker to town (hot on the heels of his years of yelling "Dynomite!") to regale locals with material by his then little known writers Jay Leno and David Letterman. Try harder, and they might even remember when Andy And Flo's brought in their big act, Dr Timothy Leary (No kidding! Hey, Tim - Tune in, turn out, drop the stand up act.) By 1981, however, both clubs were gone. Hiccups resurfaced briefly in the late nineties, in a new spot not far from Ottawa U. It came and went even faster than its predecessor.

Ottawa's next comedy venue wouldn't appear for a few years. It would bear the name of the indigenous troupe that called it home: Skit Row.

SKIT ROW

To date, Skit Row is the most successful stage comedy act in the city's history. The troupe formed in 1983, when two competitors in the old Ottawa Improv League, Stage Fright and Skit Com, joined forces. The group opened its first club in May of 84, at the corner of Bank and Slater, above a now defunct health food restaurant. There, Skit Row enjoyed cult status, until the troupe was asked to take over a bigger venue on Elgin Street.

The Elgin Street club (currently the Bytowne tavern) was one of the hot spots of the eighties. At long last, Ottawa audiences had their own Second City.

Skit Row - Derek Diorio, Dan Lalande, Andy Lonie, Rick Jones, Aydin Suatac and Jack Eyamie - wowed them Wednesdays through Saturday. Weekends were a comedy lover's feast. The troupe performed two shows a night, followed by an hour or two of free style improvisation.

In 1985, twinned with the city's hottest rock act, Eight Seconds, the troupe sold-out two nights at the National Arts Centre. Skit Row returned to the NAC (bringing francophone performance artist Jeanginus with them) in the summer of '87. And again they played to capacity houses. By this time, the troupe was garnering national attention; a feature article on the group appeared front page Globe and Mail's entertainment section.

In 1988, however, after spawning an equally talented second company (Lee Lambert, Norm McQueen, Nancy Marshall, Deb Murphy, Ross Wilson, Mike Hillary, Hugh Neilson, Loreena Harding, Bruce Mortoin, Teri Loretto.), Skit Row left the club scene to pursue television. After two half hours for the local CBC, Skit Row made a national pilot. But times were changing, and Skit Row wasn't what the CBC was looking for. A younger, edgier troupe, "The Kids In The Hall", was. By 1990, save for the odd coporate gig, Skit Row was no more. The troupe is fondly remembered for providing Ottawa audiences, who had always been dependent on imports for their comedy, with jokes, skits, and improvised madness about life in their own city.

(Left to Right) Deb Murphy, Andy Lonie, Derek Diorio, and Dan Lalande perform "The Beachcomber Skit" at Sudbury's Grand Theatre in October, 1988

SKIT ROW - WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Many people associated with Skit Row are still thriving in the industry:

Derek Diorio, Dan Lalande - Currently heading Distinct Features, an all Ottawa based company producing feature films for the world Pay TV market (their latest effort, "House Of Luk" will be screened at the Montreal Film Festival.)

Rick Jones - Rick has gone on to become one of the hottest voices in cartoons today. His vocal talents can heard in literally hundreds of animated programs seen around the world.

Barry Caplan, writer - Until recently, Barry produced The Great Canadian Theatre Company's alternative stage series, "Night Howl". He also has a screenplay on the brink of production.

Rick Kaulbars, writer - Rick is the city's hottest comedy writer, (Yeah, don't forget that or I'll come out there and f($%^&$(^&k y'all up!) the literary talent behind the comedy channel's animated hit "Kevin Spencer"

Rick Currie, lighting man - From offstage to on; Rick has gone on to become one of the most popular and polished stand ups in the country.

(Dan's forgetting soon-to-be Anglican Minister Lee Lambert who's just finishing his internship at a parish in Winchester. As well, Woodroffe High School principle Jack Eyamie who once threw an accordion in a rage soooooo...well...that's another story, Hammy, and Andy Lonie who will handle any of your group insurance needs. Aydin Suatac lives in Cardinal, so he pretty much wins. -ed.)

OTHER TROUPES OF THE '80's

A few of Skit Row's contemporaries: "Just For Laughs." This popular troupe was headed by Tim Progosh. Tim went on to play a regular role on TV's "Sinbad", and now produces CTV's "Canadian Comedy Awards." His troupe, Just For Laughs (they came up with the name long before the Montreal based comedy fest used it) enjoyed a loyal following Wednesday nights under the Penguin Restaurant.

A few years later, the group chnaged its name to "500 Miles Off Broadway" and moved a new venue under Bank Street's "La Gondola." The troupe disbanded after the club burned down.

Other "Just For Laughs" alumni include David Gow ( a staple of Toronto produced tv commercials), Juri Strenge (remember his stint as entertainment editor on the old R.O.?), Lucy Paget, Sylvie Cote, Walter Listen, and Dan Connoly.

Later, Juri Strenge appeared in another troupe: "The Soup And Gas Company", which later permutated into "Blue Flamingo." The troupe mixed improv with music, and enjoyed a decent following in the late eighties. The group consisted of the late Johnson Moretti, Micheal Hicks, Lora Spriggs, John Costello (who later joined Second City's road company).