RUMFORD — Irreverent skits about life in Rumford and beyond proved to be a smash hit for performer Scot Grassette and his new comedy troupe.

Friday Night Live, a 90-minute, sold-out takeoff on NBC’s long-running series “Saturday Night Live,” debuted Friday night at Grassette’s 49 Franklin function hall. It will be performed again at 8 p.m. on Friday, March 9.

“We were real happy about it,” Grassette said Saturday morning. “Everything came together.”

The show featured several skits and short films, all of which left many in the audience of 130 people in tears from laughing so hard.

“It was everything we hoped for,” he said. “The audience makes it. When we rehearsed, you can only go so far with an empty room.”

The show was directed by Nancy O. Demings, who has been performing for more than 20 years and was part of the Wingnuts Improv Troupe. Grassette is the show’s producer.

Cast members are Lisa Picard, Susan Puiia DeRoehn, Ruby Gunther, Jeff Bailey, Dan Ryder, Greg Viger, Mary Hickey, Jennifer Foster, Tammy Schmersal Burgess, Pete Orino, Duane Glover and Laurie Hunt.

The show opened not from the stage of 49 Franklin’s Mystic Theater, but from within the audience when an “obnoxious” guy hit on Tammy Schmersal Burgess.

Play-acting to the hilt, Schmersal Burgess quickly called for help, only to be answered from across the room by comedian Duane Glover.

Glover set the stage for laughs when he slowly bumbled his way through the crowd trying to strip out of his clothing to his superhero outfit underneath. At one point, he stopped and had a member of the audience pull off his jeans, and then fumbled with his cape.

When he arrived, he introduced himself as “Downtown Dan,” but failed to rid Schmersal Burgess of the guy. So he called for his counterpart, Urban Chick, who struggled equally hysterically to get through the crowd.

Eventually, the rude guy left with Chick and Dan yelled, “Live from 49 Franklin, it’s Friday Night Live!”

That’s when Rumford Town Manager Carlo Puiia, the show’s guest host, walked to center stage and began a self-written monologue wherein he spoke about his job while impersonating celebrities quite well.

Next up came “The Really Desperate Housewives of Oxford County,” a skit about the travails of a group of local women and a psychic.

And then Puiia brought the house down with laughter when he sauntered out as President Barack Obama, red tie, big ears and all, to answer a series of questions from “the press.”

In between skits, Schmersal Burgess continued to get hit on by equally rude guys. And then Puiia was back as the ghost of Steve Jobs talking about life in heaven.

“Last week I mentioned a tablet and Moses followed me everywhere,” Puiia deadpanned and the audience roared.

“These guys are good!” audience member Deb Cayer of Andover said.

Another skit featured Glover and a Wii exercise program. Another equally funny episode was a whoopie-pie addiction skit.

Later, the troupe did a zany send-up of “American Idol” judges that featured Puiia as Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler. The audience never stopped laughing, especially when he suddenly launched into “Walk This Way.”

“The show was tremendous,” Bean said afterward.

tkarkos@sunjournal.com

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