Hotline: Coxen brings Characters to BCA
By Michael Marotta
The Boston Herald, August 3, 2007

Chris Coxen swears it was a coincidence.

On the same night the local comedian plans to mock the epic ridiculousness of “American Idol” and other reality talent shows, the TD Banknorth Garden will be shuttered and silent, the result of Kelly Clarkson canceling her concert due to poor ticket sales.

Not that Coxen was planning on attending Clarkson’s concert. He’ll be hosting his own comedy show, the League of Characters, tomorrow at the Boston Center for the Arts’ Calderwood Pavilion, 527 Tremont St.

The characters in his League of Characters - all performed by Coxen - include turtleneck-wearing motivational speaker Stever Pate, Bermuda-born ladies man with a chest hair rain forest Barry Tattle and Future Queer, who hails from Dude City in the year 2912.

 “I present these characters via live performance, music, prerecorded videos and live video mixing done by a digital artist,” Coxen said.

Coxen unveiled his League of Characters at Fort Point’s Actor’s Workshop in October. At tomorrow night’s gig, his various personas will find themselves auditioning for a reality talent show. Joining him will be Shane Mauss, a recent guest of “Late Night With Conan O’Brien,” and three actors from ImprovBoston’s “Great and Secret Comedy Show”: Nate Johnson, Sean Sullivan and Sean George.

They’ll perform for judges played by fellow funnymen Ken Reid, also of the “Great and Secret Comedy Show,” and the Comedy Studio’s former Thursday night host, Tim McIntire.

Coxen is a reality show veteran himself. He participated in NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” in June, and wanted to bring that experience to the stage. He appeared on TV as Danny Morsel, a character who combines combat fighting with dancing while wearing a small doll on his chest. The NBC judges were not impressed.

“I actually told the story on stage at my last show,” Coxen said, “but this time I want the audience to feel the gorgeous absurdity of a talent audition and the precious exchange that happens between the judges and the talent.”

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