The Cody Rivers Show: Best of Volumes 4-6
Written and directed by Andrew Conner and Mike Mathieu
Upfront Theatre

Dancing Vikings, dueling superheroes in tighty whities, and a
disorganized devil are among the treats in store at “The Cody Rivers
Show: Best of Volumes 4-6.”

The current show is made up of highlights from the popular “Cody
Rivers Show” series that originally ran at the Idiom Theater. The
mysterious Cody Rivers is nowhere in sight, but the clever writing and
virtuoso physical comedy that won the original show so many fans
remain.

Andrew Conner and Mike Mathieu dance, fight, and even mime their
way through seven sketches, including one in which the dialogue is
almost entirely in French. The story is told in the universal language of
slapstick. A whack on the head with a baguette is worth a thousand
words.

The mime piece might win some converts to the form. The masked
performers act out a story of mistaken identity against a backdrop of
pulsing music, even bringing the audience into the act.

In another sketch, two very excitable boys unleash a torrent of
destruction trying to find the perfect gift Mother’s Day gift. Their search is
punctuated with ridiculous curses — like “Cheese pizza!” and “Son of a
billboard!” — that just might catch on.

Conner and Mathieu have worked together for years, and it shows in
the duo’s crisp timing and comic grace. Mathieu’s dark eyebrows are
hilariously expressive. Conner has an open, innocent face that
telegraphs his characters’ hurts and joys even as we laugh at them.

The costuming is inspired, from the creative use of spandex to some
genuinely creepy masks. Conner and Mathieu put simple props to
good use on the Upfront’s small stage. Because of the club-style
seating, audience members at tables near the back of the room see
the performers from the waist up. It’s worth going early to grab a seat
near the stage.

The Cody Rivers Show: Best of Volumes 4-6 delivers a energetic hour
of sketch comedy that will be best appreciated by teens and adults.

This review was published in the Bellingham Herald July 6, 2005.