What are you doing next weekend?  If the answer is “seeing the coolest show in town before it closes”, then you’ll be interested in reading this week’s FringeFamous Five, which features the author of said show.  Brian Kelly was able to chat with us about The Temp, the current show at the Music Box Theater that closes this coming Sunday.  Enjoy!

Give us some quick background on The Temp. Where did it come from?

BRIAN KELLY:  Years ago, I worked as a temp. It’s not the most glamorous work. You’re something of a loner, strolling into an established work environment. No one gets too invested in you, because soon you’ll be gone. And when you go…there’s no card. There’s no cake.

One night I was watching the movie “Shane” on late night TV. I thought: Here’s a drifter who strolls into town, helps out those around him, touches their lives, and then rides off.

It occurred to me…a temp does much the same thing. Why not the temp as a hero?

Are there any differences between the 1998 production and the one currently running at the Music Box?

BK:  This was the first show I’d ever written & directed and it was a very DIY affair. It was at the Bryant Lake Bowl, so there was not a lot of space for an 8-person cast to move, let alone dance. The technology of 10 years ago also presented limitations…I mean, you couldn’t even burn a CD then.

This time around, we had a set designer, lighting and sound design, we re-orhestrated all of the music, upped the ante on the choreography, I did a lot of re-writes on jokes that maybe didn’t land as well as they could have. In general it’s a richer, tighter, funnier production.

What was behind the decision to bring it back?

BK:  It was two-fold. For one thing, I had been performing with Triple Espresso for 6 years, and the show was ending. I’d always thought The Temp would be a nice fit at the Music Box Theater, and suddenly it was available. Plus, this is the 10 year anniversary of the original production of “The Temp”, which seemed like a really appropriate time to bring it back.

Also, Michael Ritchie and Tom Winner from the original show were available. Tom is one of the funniest people I know, and Michael…well, I can’t imagine doing the show without Michael. Though I play the title character, he is the star of the show. He plays the part of the villain like he’s in a Hammer horror picture…only intentionally funny. It’s just a fantastic performance.

The show enjoyed great success in 1998. Were you worried at all that this run might not live up to the first one?

BK:  To be honest, ten years is a long time and I didn’t expect that anyone would remember the original. So realistically, I didn’t feel like we could rely on any of the past success. I had to view it as starting from scratch. The only way that this version and the old version are really in ‘competition’ with each other is artistically. I’d like to think that ten years on I’d be able to make a better show.

That said, it’s been amazing how many people have come up to me and said “We saw the show 10 years ago” and the general attitude has been that it’s the show they remember only better. So I feel we’ve achieved our goal.

What’s next? Got any new shows in the works?

BK: This fall I will be performing in Triple Espresso in various cities. The next show I’d like to mount is a version of Jesus Christ Superstar as performed by the Muppets. There may be some legal issues surrounding that. I’ll have my legal team look into it and keep you posted.

Brian Kelly most recently did 1,300 shows with Triple Espresso, everywhere from Des Moines, Iowa to Dublin, Ireland. It’s hard for him to remember much of anything before that, but the IRS tells him that he’s performed with ComedySportz, Mystery Café, Tony & Tina’s Wedding, and We Gotta Bingo and written a couple of jokes for Miss Richfield, 1981. He’s also done a number of commercials, at least 4 of which feature him in bed asleep.