The Tenderloins will make you laugh
by: Alan Bauer

Ten-der-loin, (n):

1. A tender cut of beef or pork loin.

2. A funny, funny word.

Go ahead and say "tenderloin" out loud a few times (preferably when you’re alone, or people might stare at you and then contact the authorities).

Yeah, the word sounds funny. So when you’re naming a comedy troupe, why not call yourself the "Tenderloins"?

That’s what four guys from the Island and one from Florida did. And now they’re an up-and-coming comedy act based in the big city.

We caught up with James Murray, Joe Gatto, Michael Boccio, Salvatore Vulcano (the guys from Farrell High School here on the Island) and Gideon Horwitz (the Florida guy) at a Manhattan rehearsal studio where they were practicing improv.

Practicing improv? Isn’t that like planning to be spontaneous?

Not quite. Improv, despite the name, takes practice. Tricks of the trade must be mastered.

Much like Joe Montana had to know where Jerry Rice was going to be on a slant pattern, and much like Fred Astaire had to anticipate Ginger Rogers’ every move, if you’re a Tenderloin, you’ve got to know where the other Tenderloins are at all times, what they’re doing, and what they’re going to do next.

"Improv has a set of fundamental rules to follow," said James. "What we do in rehearsal is practice those rules and guidelines. It’s the fundamentals of good teamwork. And there are certain games you can do to exercise those foundations of good improv."

"We also get the chance to stop and analyze stuff we’ve done," Joe added. "If it’s in a show and it happens, you keep going."

"You want to get into the habit of making the best choice every time," Gideon said.

The idea is to get the group thinking and acting as a unit, to build trust and to be able to react instantly to the cues of the other members of the troupe.

"It’s a concept called group mind," James explained. "Half of what rehearsal is about is that you are performing together so much that you all start to think along the same wavelength. The whole group is acting as one mind. You trust each other so much that you know that nobody can make a mistake because you’re supporting each other."

"It’s like a safety net knowing that no matter what choice you make, they’ll be there to back you up," Sal added. "One of the tricks of the trade is you take what is said and add to it."

"The end result is a fluid scene that a lot of audience members think is scripted," Mike said.

Technically, and if you’re ever on "Jeopardy" and you choose the "Comedy Stylings" category and Alex asks you about comics who make things up on the fly, what the Tenderloins do is called Chicago-style, long-form improvisation. The audience will give them a suggestion and then, like a snowball rolling downhill, the troupe does a half-hour routine, building on that idea all along the way. The name comes from the famous, Second City, where many, if not all, of the "Saturday Night Live" players (the funny ones, anyway) started.

So far, the group has met with a good amount of success. It’s making a name for itself in Manhattan where, recently, James was downright giddy after being accosted by a service station attendant. Well, not really accosted, but what other word can you use when someone runs up to you out of nowhere and calls you a Tenderloin?

And there are appearances at improv and sketch festivals from coast to coast, short films and a variety of other projects the group has embarked upon.

"Big things came out of appearances in San Francisco and Miami," Joe said. "We had other performers we respect see us. The feedback was phenomenal.

"We had the last show of the Miami festival, the midnight show. Everybody was there to watch us and it was probably one of our best shows ever."

So what’s next? As the man said, it’s all up, up and away.

Usually the group has a couple of shows a year on the Island at CSI that include a film, some sketches and, of course, improv.

The Tenderloins also are in the process of lining up a run of shows in the city, something that can start and sustain "buzz" in the entertainment community.

You can catch them Monday nights, June 9, 16, 23 and 30, at 7 p.m. at Rose's Turn, 55 Grove St. (near 7th Ave. South).

You can get tickets through the group’s website, www.thetenderloins.com, or by calling (866) 239-5634.

There’s even hope that perhaps New York can play host to an improv or sketch comedy festival in the future.

The secret to the group’s success? In sports – and now in comedy – it’s called chemistry.

"I’ve seen a lot of troupes that get cast," James explained. "They’re not friends first. There’s no real core to what they stand for."

With the Tenderloins, the chemistry dates back 10 years or so to the high school days. Gideon joined the group about two and a half years ago.

"His humor is what we were missing," Joe said.

The other four, after all dabbling in comedy in high school, went their separate ways during their college years and now have come back together to form the successful troupe.

Day jobs? Publicist, actor, casting director, talent manager and Sal, who now does this full-time, despite the 101 percent pay cut.

Oh, and the name Tenderloins? That came about after a highly scientific study, immense marketing research and numerous tests with with focus groups of their targeted audience.

Nah.

"Tenderloins was the very first idea we had," James said. "And after two months and hundreds of other names, we went back to the very first one."

"The name comes from a list of words that Mike and I had accumulated in high school that we thought were funny," Sal said. "That’s what we did in high school. It’s grown to about 300 words now. I think the definition was words that I would be a little bit embarrassed to say in front of a large group of people."

We agree. Other than "rump roast," we consider "tenderloin" to be among the funniest words pertaining to the meat industry.

And with a little luck, the "Tenderloins" will be among the funniest troupes on the comedy scene for years to come.