BWW Reviews: Tziporela's ODD BIRDZ is Funny as Ever

The Birdz are back by popular demand, and they're as funny as ever. Last October, I had the pleasure of reviewing Tziporela's ODD BIRDZ, when the hilarious sketch comedy troupe made their US Debut at New York City's The Player's Theatre. While back with the same show, some bits have been tweaked and expanded. Whether you saw them in 2014 or not, Tziporela's ODD BIRDZ is sure to have you bowled over with laughter.

Being able to revisit this collection of skits is a true highlight of Summer 2015. It is a joy to see my favorites again. Furthermore, as this troupe of skilled comedians has traveled more of the world since we last saw them, it is interesting to see how they have successfully modified the show to make it even funnier. There is no doubt that these deft professionals truly understand what different cultures find funny, and using their comedic geniuses they craft 90 minutes of entertaining and highly amusing skits that are guaranteed to tickle the funny bone. Smartly, most of the skits shy away from spoken languages, using silence or guttural sounds that are understood across cultures.

The opening sequence, "Cinema Part I," as performed by Gal Friedman and Efrat Aviv is magical in its simplicity yet pristinely draws guffaw after guffaw. The two actors use brief blackouts to switch characters, filling the stage with a large group of obnoxious theatergoers. In a skit called "Date," Ben Perry and Tamara Klayngon have the audience rolling in the aisles with laughter by saying all the horrible things that you'd never actually say on a date. With an infectious pop background and perfectly timed exclamations, Tamara Klayngon, Naama Amit, Efrat Aviv, and Lotus Etrog make "OMG" one of the most memorable moments in the show. "Kochva and Raz at the Airport," which seems to have been reworked the most, is brilliant comedy lampooning inefficient customs officers. Ben Perry, Tomer Nahir Petluk, and Danny Isserless play it to perfection.

Ben Perry and Naama Amit delight the audience in a series of skits called "Something Stupid" as a dysfunctional band. With "Set for Two" Efrat Aviv flies around the stage setting a table with frenetic energy, and then she mystifies the audience with her flexibility as acts out a romantic storyline between two puppets placed on her feet. Efrat Aviv, Naama Amit, and Ben Perry have the audience in stitches as they dramatically mourn the loss of a loved one in "The Grave." With heartwarming whimsy and cheer, Lotus Etrong and Danny Isserless leave the audience grinning from ear to ear with the extremely cute skit "Drawing."

Running Time: Approximately 90 minutes with no intermission.

Tziporela are only performing ODD BIRDZ at The Players Theatre, 115 MacDougal Street, New York City, New York 10012, now through September 6, 2015. Performances are Thursdays at 7:00 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., and Sundays at 2:00 & 5:00 p.m. Tickets start at $47. For more information about and tickets Tziporela visithttp://tziporela.com.

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