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  Wilshire Theatre Dick Capri is one of the three original comedians who will be

performing in "Catskills on Broadway," which is opening tonight and runs through May 13 at the Wilshire Theatre in Beverly Hills.

By Barbara McGuire

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

Looking at a map, the Catskills appear to be simply a mountain range located in upstate New York. Seen through the perspective of Catskillian comedians, however, these mountains bring back memories of a time when their type of comedy was the only entertainment to be found in the hotels spanning the range.

In an attempt to keep the comedy of the Catskills alive, as well as provide an outlet for both comedians and audience members to reminisce about entertainment in the mountains, Freddie Roman created “Catskills on Broadway” in 1991. Combined in one free-form show are the acts of four different Catskillian comedians. Opening at the Wilshire Theatre tonight and showing through May 13, the laugh-packed performance is revisiting Los Angeles for the first time in nearly a decade.

“My career started up in the Catskill Mountains; I was there for many years before I went to other parts of the business like Las Vegas and Atlantic City and I just loved the history of the Catskills, the fact that so many of America’s greatest comedians started up there,” Roman said in a phone interview from his home in New Jersey.

Although some of the show’s content has been changed over time, “Catskills on Broadway” is basically returning to the stage unaltered. Three of the original comedians, Roman, Dick Capri and Mal Z. Lawrence, are returning to the show. Even the newest addition, Scott Record, is connected to the original show.

“Freddie Roman ... has asked me to be in every cast and I just haven’t been able to because when they first came out with it on Broadway I had just moved here to Los Angeles three weeks before,” Record said. “But, now it’s time.”

Roman said that each of the four comedians performing bring a different, unmistakable flavor to the show, raising the level of comedy, which has actually prompted fans to write the comedians letters telling them that they left the theater in pain from laughing so much. Roman credits their amazing popularity, which kept them on Broadway with sold-out shows for 14 months, to the brand of comedy Catskillian comedians deliver.

“Today’s comedy is a different ball game because most of the younger comedians come out of the comedy clubs catering to a very young audience, whereas our comedy, we deal with young, medium and elder,” he said. “We had to come up with material that was universally accepted by all age groups.”

While Roman and Capri both said that they look to their personal life, as well as popular topics in the media, for comedic inspiration, Record actually performs a variety of impressions ranging from singing to voice-overs. Record said that none of the comedians’ content springs from anger, a recent trend he has seen in comedy clubs.

“Even just 20 years ago, the structure was post-vaudevillian, Catskillian in the pre-historic times of comedy, and there were actually jokes. There was a set-up and it was funny and witty and you’d laugh,” he said. “Whereas maybe today, it’s a little more like rage. People are on rants and they’re angry.

“Those are all the elements of today’s comedy and there’s people that do that that make me laugh, but I really do like the Catskills way,” he continued.

Regardless of what format the comedy comes in, Capri felt that making people laugh is something that will always be important.

“It’s a great outfit, especially today when there’s the stock market and all the turmoil with China,” he said. “There’s so many bad things going on around us, that we need comedy to cheer us up a bit. Even Presidents rely on comedy. Look at Reagan – comedy will bail you out.”

Roman agreed with Capri, and said that in general, no matter what kind of bad mood people are in, whether they are cranky or frustrated, they still love to laugh. Describing comedy as the perfect antidote to a grumpy attitude, Roman said laughter just has a natural way of making people feel better.

Despite the fact that “Catskills on Broadway” contains a brand of comedy that college students may not be familiar with, by using laughter as their language, these comedians believe that they can make anyone laugh, regardless of age.

“I know that college kids go to flea markets and they like to look for old stuff, so coming to ‘Catskills on Broadway’ is like going to a flea market for comedy. You might find a beautiful gem there, something that’s been overlooked,” Record said.

COMEDY: “Catskills on Broadway” opens tonight and shows through May 13 at the Wilshire Theatre, 8440 Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills. Performances are Tuesday through Saturday at 8 p.m., Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices range from $27 to $52 and can be purchased at any Ticketmaster outlet by calling (213) 365-3500, or on the Web at www.ticketmaster.com.