'Soup!': Serving Up Some Salty Humor

Although this theater company's name may seem less than creative, Trio, made up of Gabrielle Fisher, Noah Kelly and Pardis Parsa, delivered some original fun on Saturday. The sketch comedians took on cooking shows, therapy, baby rental services (!) and yoga, with a dash of dance party thrown in for good measure.

The comedians of Trio bring "Soup" to Fringe Festival. (Capital Fringe Festival)

The funniest of the six sketches in "Soup!" revolved around a hit-man's need for zen. A mobster, played by Kelly, follows his sister to a power yoga class because he wants to tell her about his job angst, while the woman between them cluelessly continues on with her downward dogs. Kelly's contagiously funny facial expressions and Gumby-like body made him a standout throughout the show, but this sketch really played to his strong suits. I loved the combination of his Jersey accent, glum demeanor and the way he gets into tree pose with a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

Meanwhile, "Lotus" found a woman, who had recently undergone surgery, justifying her actions to her nether regions. I should also mention that said area had a name (Lucy), a lot of attitude and a man's voice. The premise alone is ridiculous, so you can only imagine the conversation that follows.

Trio works best in this type of all-out farce; the more real-life the sketches appeared, the less funny they usually were. "Remedy," for example, consisted of a woman's conversation with her doctor. Even though the ending was a little strange, the meandering lead-up didn't justify the pay-off.

But any slowness was forgotten by the time "PANDEMIC!" rolled around. The three-person dance party played to the three actors' strengths of physical comedy and, best of all, the short performance delighted in utter silliness.

-- Stephanie