By Jamie Smith Cantara
Special to the American-Statesman

If you are expecting to hear Kelly's big voice or see Justin's big hair or
take a drink from a Big Gulp, go somewhere else. "American Idle: The Search
for a Supersize, or: He Ain't Heavy, He's my Big Brother," may be the title
of Gag Reflex Austin's first show but George Orwell is nowhere to be found.
Get used to it. Sketch comedy groups often get carried away with subtitles
and word play - that's just what they do, they can't help it, they can't
stop the punning.

Gag Reflex, a popular sketch comedy troupe that came together in Chicago
around 1993, now has a local off shoot. One of the original members, Dale
Roe, has teamed up with fellow "American-Statesman" employee Joe Stafford as
well as Clay Askew (all-American stooge), Sondra Crawford (goofy, wild
woman), Jed "Dino" Deusler (a crooning Matthew McConnahay), Maggie Gallant
(the Brit) and Suzyn Skaggs (a softer and sweetly dizzy Jo Anne Worley) to
create an Austin branch. Saturday's crowded performance at the Hideout
marked the company's debut.

Overall, this first outing was good. The members are ready to please and
willing to go for it, but great sketch work depends on smart writing, clear
performances and, especially, fabulous chemistry. Gag Reflex is still so
young that the group's performance identity and writing personalities
haven't had time to take shape and weak endings, both in terms of the
writing and the physical execution, consistently undermined the punch of
several sketches.

Conceptually, most of the sketches are quite sharp although the best ones
appear to have been developed by the Chicago-based core. The well-timed
gasps and dramatic fearful expressions in "Worriers Anonymous," which
satirizes group therapy, were perfectly overwrought. Adding a nice brain
stretch for the audience, "Rhetorical Q&A" rewards contestants on a
Jeopardy-like game show with points when they answer only rhetorical
questions. "Knight School" plays on "night" and "knight" to create a scene
of Monty Pythonesque absurdity (Sir Bowflex and Lady Sleeps Around are two
of the chivalrous wannabees).

Clever songs are one of the group's strengths - think of a folksy Tom Lehrer
- and of the musical numbers, "Morning People," a ballad for those who don't
adore the sunrise, "Neckbrace Girl," a 50's love song, and "Asthmatic Pope,"
a country-infused blues number talking about counter lingo and diner speak,
all stand out.

"American Idle" is funny and entertaining. The individual members may still
be consciously negotiating their onstage relationships and finding their
areas of expertise, but they could end up creating a formidable comedic
team.