Section: Accent

By Sarah Mauet

ARIZONA DAILY STAR

Truth can be stranger than fiction - it can also be funnier.

Witness Monolog Cabin, a local performing group whose members write comedic first-person narratives and present them as monologues.

"It's the most reinforcing thing in the world to have people laughing at you or with you if you want them to," founder Steve Barancik said. "I think we're all addicted to that."

Monolog Cabin is a hybrid of stand-up comedy, literary reading and performance art. The monologues are along the lines of David Sedaris' witty, thought-provoking and sometimes shocking confessionals and social critiques.

"It's not just a series of stand-up jokes," performer Margo Taylor said. "They are stories being told that all have some element of truth to them."

Barancik dreamed up the idea for Monolog Cabin after seeing a similar group called Sit 'n' Spin perform in Los Angeles in the summer of 2003.

"On one hand we were blown away at how good it was, but on the other hand we had this sense that we ourselves could do something similar," he said.

Barancik, a screenplay writer whose credits include 1994's "The Last Seduction," began assembling a group of local talent.

Monolog Cabin's first performance was December 2003 at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Richard Oseran, co-owner of Hotel Congress, attended the show.

"When I went to see it, I was actually blown away by the quality of the performance," he said. "I think they run from interesting to hilarious. These are people who could be in New York or L.A., drawing an audience."

He offered the group an evening slot with cabaret-style seating at Club Congress. The group of rotating readers puts on a show every month or two and draws a large and diverse crowd, Oseran said.

Within any show, subjects can range from tooth veneers to racism to a disastrous holiday with the in-laws. Monolog Cabin also presents themed shows, such as "Little Buggers," about kids; and the recurring "White Trash Poetry Night." Topics and content can range from emotional essays to vulgar humor.

"It's a black humor," said performer/producer Charlotte Lowe-Bailey, a poet and former Arizona Daily Star reporter. "That's the thing we all share. I don't know why we all share it, but we all do. It's like when something is really horrible, you can't help but grin and think, 'Whoa, this is insanely funny because it's just so terrible.' "

During a show in June, seven members who ranged in age from 25 to 57 each took the stage for 10 to 15 minutes. Emcee Paul Fisher threw out a series of chuckle-eliciting one-liners between readers.

"I really enjoy it because you can be topical and brief and completely over the top," he said.

Karen Brennan, whose writings include poetry, talked about her aversion to work, and Sean Murphy, who works for Bookman's and writes for The Onion, talked about his first job.

Former stand-up comedian Sara Regezi, now a copywriter and UA nursing school hopeful, talked about an identity crisis induced by identity theft. Lowe-Bailey spoke about meeting her long-lost father, and her daughter Faitha Lowe-Bailey spoke of writing an opera about Napoleon during a stretch of unemployment. Barancik presented his discovery that homosexuality exists.

"It was a really great variety," said Payson resident Sarah Bontempi, 44, who saw the show during a Tucson visit. "I liked that not everything was hysterical, but it was all very funny. I enjoyed that people were telling their personal stories with a humorous twist. I was quite impressed."

Group members take the stage one at a time and stand at a microphone with script in hand, but the monologues are far from monotonous.

Margo Taylor, a middle-school teacher and a former humor columnist known as Bea Lamé, even dresses the part of her recurring character, a child-hating teacher who heads an organization called TAC - Teachers Against Children.

"I thought it would be more acting, but I'm glad it's not," said Kimberly Kozachik, 21. "It's dry reality humor. They're very funny."

Audience member Greg Loumeau, 41, also enjoyed the show.

"Tucson doesn't have enough live performances like this or live humor events," he said.

Barancik agrees and hopes Monolog Cabin can continue bringing laughter to the local entertainment scene.

"I don't get tired of getting the laughs," he said. "I just hope we keep living enough material."

if you go

● What: Monolog Cabin

● When: 7 p.m. Aug. 27 and 3 p.m. Aug. 28

● Tickets: $5, online through www.hotelcongress.com or at the door

Non-smoking, all ages.

● Information: Send an e-mail to monologcabin@cox.net to learn more or to audition for the group.