Area residents can see her perform live at the Ohio Star Theater in Sugarcreek at 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 23. Tickets are still available online at www.ohiostartheater.com or by calling the box office at 855-344-7547. The Ohio Star Theater is located at 1387 Old Route 39, Sugarcreek, near Dutch Valley Restaurant.
Anita Renfroe is flat out funny.
She has been featured as a comedy correspondent for Good Morning America and appeared on many other television shows, as well as performing at The Grand Ole Opry.
Area residents can see her perform live at the Ohio Star Theater in Sugarcreek at 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 23. Tickets are still available online at www.ohiostartheater.com or by calling the box office at 855-344-7547. The Ohio Star Theater is located at 1387 Old Route 39, Sugarcreek, near Dutch Valley Restaurant.
Renfroe wants people to "just come to the show."
She recently talked with The Times-Reporter by telephone from her home in Atlanta, Georgia.
What's your favorite thing about what you do? I think for me, as a Christian, that The Bible even says laughter does good as medicine. I see stressed out, worn out people. They're tired from whatever's causing their stress, and you get to see their body language and faces change over the course of the night. All of a sudden, they're laughing and relieving that stress. I don't take that lightly. I love comedy and to do that kind of work, it's cheaper and less time-consuming than therapy.
How many tour dates do you do per year? That's a better question for my husband or the person who runs the office, but about 70 to 75-ish. Sometimes it's three or four shows during a weekend. Usually during the summer, it's very few shows. I got used to following the school calendar. In July and August, I kind of stayed off the road, also on holidays. Some weeks are really busy, and others we knock off and just watch the clouds roll by. My kids are grown and in their early 30s. Now I have six grandkids, so it's going into the next set of wild ones.
Have you ever been to this part of Ohio before? I don't know. I've played a lot of dates in Ohio. I'm very happy to come to where the creeks flow with sugar. The Amish make really good food, I'm looking forward to that.
Is this your usual show, or is it a new tour? My show morphs every year. I try to drag three or four of the best elements into every year, but there's always new material. Even if you've seen my show before, there will be new elements and a couple of new parody songs. As life keeps happening, the show keeps evolving. Whether it's tragic or mundane, it's real for comedy. Real life is funnier than anything you could make up. For those who haven't seen my show, it's not just stand up comedy. It's estrogen flavored musical comedy. It's going to be a lot of fun.
Will you be doing "The Mom Song?" That's the unofficial title. It's actually "Momisms to the Tune of 'The William Tell Overture.'" If I don't do it, people get mad. They feel that 'we paid money, we want to see it live." I feel compelled. It's not on the same level, but it would be like The Eagles not doing 'Hotel California.' I do it every show. Normally, it's the first thing out of the gate, so that people don't worry if I'm going to or not. They get so distracted, 'I wonder if she's going to do it?' So I don't save it for an encore — mainly because it's the hardest thing I'll do all night and requires the most oxygen. Once it's done, then I can enjoy the rest of the night, too.
Will you be singing "Those Ain't Pants?" I don't travel with that guitar much any more. People latched onto that song. They played it in in Human Resources department meetings and at high schools to explain why these aren't appropriate attire. I feel that I've done some good in the world by explaining why wearing that clothing may not be the best possible choice.
The guitar you're talking about looks like a cigar box with a guitar neck, why did you decide on that one? That's exactly right. Cigar box guitars are a folksy instrument, used in the Mississippi Delta. They're made out of cans or boxes, they string them up and play them. It's the least expensive way to get a hollow body. A friend in Georgia makes them. When I saw him play, I thought maybe I can do that. It's a concession to my non-musicality, but you put it through a modulator, and that changes it to sound really rock-n-roll. You put it through that little mojo pedal and it sounds like Def Leppard — kind of unexpected. I tend to gravitate toward the unexpected. Something weird happens. I always like to bring out something unexpected — not like comedy isn't weird enough already.
Do you fine-tune your act to certain venues? I'm always aware of geography because in certain places the taste in comedy is a little different. In the South, they want knee-slappers and very demonstrative comedy, but if you're in Delaware or Maine, most places up in the Northeast, they're more reserved. Sometimes, the Midwest audiences laugh politely. They'll laugh right there at the punchline. It's kind of funny how audiences vary by region and venue. If they're used to a lot of fun, they seem to be loose from the start. If they're more high brow, it take can take a few minutes for them to loosen up a bit."
In his book, "Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life," Steve Martin wrote that he mapped out every minute of his performance, even during the "Wild and Crazy Guy" years — how do you approach the stage? I read that book. I'm not quite that programmed, I enjoy improvisation, being in the moment in the room. Without it, I'd be easily bored with myself. There are jokes or song elements repeated, but not the entire show. I ask people in the audience to educate me about where we are. That opens up a lot of possibilities. Nobody thinks that where they're from is weird. One place had the largest tractor in the world, buried upside down. It was hilarious. They didn't think that was weird — just notable, because it's what they had. I love the fact of making comedy fresh in the room, based on the people and the place. I appreciate a good bit of improv. I definitely know where I'm going, with a general road map for the show and two or three things that are going to happen along the way. I like people to relax and enjoy the show, but also to be engaged. It's a conversation, not a monologue. Audiences vote by whether they laugh or not. If it's something familiar or universal, I always consider the audience as part of the show with me. I like to make more laughter happen. I like the show to be a communal experience.
What do you find about your shows that people connect to the most? The fact that I don't really make comedy up, I observe and report. People can tell that you're reporting from the front lines of your life. Audiences are smart and know if you've tried be clever or you're talking about real things that happened.