You would think a comedy troupe with a name like Rulers of the Universe would be pretty full of themselves, but that’s not true. All this silly septet wants to do is make us laugh — whether it’s headlining the popular Fan Fiction comedy series at Black Swan or appearing at the upcoming Toronto Sketch Comedy Fest. We chatted with member Jeremy Woodcock about getting along, serial killers and Jeff Goldblum.
How did you guys get together?
We were all introduced to each other as people who were looking to start a sketch troupe. Somehow it worked perfectly, at least getting-along-and-jelling-wise. We also included the members of the brilliant The Templeton Philharmonic, so it was a pretty swell group. So we’re like The Monkees if they all just kept liking each other. Hmm, next time I need to make this answer more dramatic. More “clashes” and “fallings-out.”
How did you come up with the name?
It was actually bestowed upon us by someone. Our big decision was in keeping it when we got serious and knew we’d be together for a while. We decided that while “Rulers of the Universe” will never make you laugh, it’s a keeper. If you try to have a “funny” name, something like “The Sketchup Chips,” it could make you laugh once but then, unfortunately, you’d have to quit comedy. The name’s part of our identity now; we’re not massive ego types, so we see it as this big, over-the-top statement we can hide and be silly behind.
What can we expect from a Rulers of the Universe show?
Some scenes where every line is a joke, some where you’re squirming (in a fun way) waiting for the big reveal, big character showcases, thoughtful premises and then a musical scene where we run around and dance badly. But basically a show where we try to have the most jokes per minute.
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
Mainly we just wanna make people laugh so hard. That’s obvious, but honestly, that’s our biggest inspiration as a troupe and it comes up at rehearsals when adding lines and how we steer the show. Our approaches to creating material vary, though. I’ll try to pack in a bunch of jokes on a page and stare for a half-hour at a semi-colon then delete, and others will take a character they met at the mall and just present them to the world through their filter.
Have you ever written something deemed too offensive to perform? If so, please share.
More like stuff that was too much of a bummer. Serial killers, cannibals — sometimes we start with an outrageous topic or character and just don’t find the joke and then it’s just a horrible person. The most offensive thing is being unfunny. Gandhi said that.
You guys have tackled some of the Fan Fiction that plays at Black Swan. What’s one TV show or movie would you like to try and why?
Yeah, we’ve headlined almost every one of those shows and have had time to debate this. Our members have many intense fandoms that range from anime to Sherlock Holmes to The X-Files to Pokemon. But my answer is the same as it would have been before we did any: Jurassic Park. We would never agree on who got to be Jeff Goldblum, though, so it would be seven Jeff Goldblums up there. Lots of leather makes good comedy. I’m told Gandhi said that, as well.
Would be your dream guest performer?
John Cleese. Bill Hader. So many terrific Toronto folks: Pat Thornton, Kathleen Phillips, Daryn McIntyre, Falcon Powder, Simon Pond, Ken Hall and I’d love to see the Rulers act out a sketch that David Dineen-Porter wrote.
What’s next on the horizon?
We’re really looking forward to the Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival in March.
The details:
Year established: 2010
Cast members: Paul Beer, Guy Bradford, Tyler Hewitt, Kat Letwin, Nkasi Ogbonnah, Carter Siddall, Jeremy Woodcock
Influences: The Simpsons, Monty Python, Arrested Development, Stella, SCTV, Mr. Show, Bob Newhart, Simon Rich, Smothers Brothers, Douglas Adams, Jurassic Park
Next gig: Fan Fiction: James Bond, Black Swan Comedy, 154 Danforth Ave., 416-903-5388. Feb. 2, 7:30 p.m.
