All nine DBP members are notable comics. Their specialties range from the insane manias of Kim Nyhous to the droll lethargy of Evan Mosher. Some DBP materials are used and overused scraps from the comedy recycling bin: dopey TV programs, even dopier TV commercials, the singles scene, a smarmy lounge singer, haughty aristocrats, corporate lunacy and psychotherapy.

But often enough the DBPs freshen stale subjects. And speaking of Mosher, Nyhous and psychotherapy, his depiction of a distraught patient and her portrayal of an out-of-control shrink are as hilarious as they are improper.

DBPs are rife with impropriety. They play foul-mouthed street Christmas trees. They portray the difficulties of mastering wino lingo as a second language. They give new meaning to the word “mammogram."

The scenery for “The Hobo's Christmas" is a vision of holiday symbols: wreathes, reindeer, decorated tree, colored lights - the whole bit. And then there's the shower curtain showing Santa, nude except for his broad black belt. Strategically placed soap bubbles provide a modicum of modesty.

That's the way it is in DBP-land. Familiar stuff gets ingeniously twisted."--Joe Adcock, Seattle Union Record

When Joe Adcock is not on strike, he is the theater critic for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Outstanding Comedy:

Gate 17 written by Disgruntled Bit Players, Seattle and Joe Wack was named "Outstanding Comedy"of The Stranger's The Best Theater of 2001:  "High-concept goofiness from the Disgruntled Bit Players."

There's no complicating plot development here, which is well and good; the piece does well to rely solely upon the performers, physical comedy, and strong sketch concepts. Props are nice and spare, though the fact that the actors are all clad in bunchy, identical "DBP" T-shirts led me to believe they had just come from a weekend at some fundamentalist Christian camp.

After a hilarious opening movement/dance number, the goofy sequence of skits begins to unspool, set in a Sea-Tac airport that's familiar but turned on its head. A couple greeting each other at the gate embrace, kiss, then fall on the floor, copulating. A "mammogram" is delivered to an air traveler, who reads the message by carefully palpating a pair of plastic breasts buckled onto the messenger. The mayor greets travelers over the PA system: "I'm Paul Schell. Don't hit me." Many of the sketches are bizarre and original enough to make you say, "Why haven't I thought of that?" Gate 17 isn't deeply meaningful, but its parody and performances are dead-on."

-- Stacey Levine, The Stranger