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Oct. 14, 2005
Trying for some laughs
Oden takes to the stage to tickle our funnybones.
CASSANDRA FREEMAN
The kids are growing up. You suddenly have one night free. But
what do you do with that newfound freedom?
For Marlie Oden, it was obvious: take a course in stand-up comedy.
And her material? That was obvious, too: comedy based on her two
children and loving husband.
"They've just been great," Oden said in a recent interview
with the Independent. "They are really good sports ...
and I know they are really proud of me and that means a lot."
Oden's husband, Ken Newbert, attends every performance. It's generally
a weekly affair for the couple these days.
At 50, Oden is a regular with the Laff Riot Girls, the only female-based
comedy troupe in Vancouver. She performs with them at Zesty's restaurant
on Commercial Drive on average two Saturdays a month.
The up-and-coming comic remembers how nerve-wracking her first time
on stage was almost a year ago, even though she had been involved
in amateur theatre in her 20s in Edmonton and, since then, has been
a frequent public speaker.
"It was really scary," she said, "because you are
really exposing yourself in stand-up. And you have to be really
tightly rehearsed, since you're memorizing a lot of material."
But after the first few performances, Oden relaxed and began ad-libbing
and interacting with the crowd. In her first year as a comedian,
she has performed at the Laughing Bean in Vancouver, Laff Lines
in New Westminster and at various venues in Edmonton and Toronto.
At the Laugh Resort in Toronto, she was thrilled to perform right
before Jay Malone, who has just done an hour-long show for Comedy
Central.
The Laugh Resort's policy is "no humor below the belt"
and, since Oden has always had a clean act, she didn't have to change
any of her material.
"Because of my age, for starters, I think it's kind of creepy
sometimes for someone to see their mother onstage talking to people
about sex," she said, "and because I have teenage children,
I think it would be extra creepy for them."
She also credits a rabbi she met at a Jewish Family Service Agency
luncheon for counselling her to perform using topics within her
comfort zone.
But Oden's act is hardly conservative. At one point during her routine,
her two kids are taped to trees in the backyard. (Don't worry, this
never happened!)
Jerry Seinfeld, Joan Rivers, Jon Stewart, Bette Midler and Ellen
DeGeneres are among Oden's favorite bold and brazen comics. Growing
up, she developed an affinity for Lucille Ball, the fireball of
sitcom comedy in her day and a redhead, just like Oden. From Oden's
perspective, comedy is still a male-dominated business, but she
is encouraged that more and more women seem to be trying out the
art form.
In her case, long-time friend Leonard Schein, now the owner of the
Park Theatre and Fifth Avenue cinemas, had always encouraged her
to go into stand-up. When a close relative was diagnosed with a
serious illness, Oden finally took the leap into comedy as a form
of therapy.
"I really wanted something to help me be strong, so I could
be strong for other people," she said. "I missed about
half the classes, but I found it was really helpful to do –
just to have something that would help all of us find humor in difficult
moments. I found I enjoyed it way more than I thought I was going
to."
Oden works in the fast-paced, high-pressure business of public relations
and advertising. Recently, along with partner Bonnie Allan, she
produced a commercial for Alley Cats, a musical premièring
at the Vogue Theatre in October, choreographed by Vancouver dance
legend Jeff Hyslop.
Oden is also on the board of the Jewish Festival of the Arts Society,
which is responsible for the yearly Vancouver Jewish Film Festival.
She is proud of last spring's public relations campaign slogan,
"You don't have to be Jewish to go to the Jewish Film Festival."
As part of the campaign, bagels and chicken soup were delivered
to members of the media. With Oden on board, who knows what might
happen next spring.
Oden has been married to Newbert for 20 years. Her daughter, Elyse,
19, is involved in Hillel House at the University of Toronto. Her
son Joel is in Grade 12.
Over the years, Oden said she has also been inspired by family friend
Bea Goldberg, a past president of Haddassah-WIZO who has done so
much for her family and her community – "and [is] still
vibrant at 80 years old."
"I'm very blessed," said Oden. "I feel very fortunate
that I have a good job, nice partner, good family and lots of nice
friends. What more could you want? And I get to laugh a lot."
To find out when Marlie Oden next performs, go to www.laffriotgirls.com.
Cassandra Freeman is a freelance writer living in Vancouver.
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