[This weekend, the Lenny Dee Players will perform in the Little Nourse Theater on Thursday, Friday and Saturday night at 9:00pm. Born in the spring of 2002, Lenny Dee is a sketch comedy group that produces a live show once a term, where friends from all across campus along with Isabel Anderson’s brother from St. Olaf participate in a night of laughter and intellectual stimulation. This interview was conducted by Kapani Kirkland with the fully informed and un-coerced consent from the Lenny Dee Players.]
KAPANI KIRKLAND: Oh my goodness, you’re Arlo Hettle, dee-rector of the Lenny Dee Players.
ARLO HETTLE: Yes.
KAPANI: What’s this weekend’s show about?
ARLO: That’s a dumb question.
KAPANI: I’m sorry?
ARLO: We have multiple, unrelated sketches.
KAPANI: Is there a better question to ask?
ELLIE REINHOLD: You could ask if we write our own sketches.
KAPANI: Fine. Do you write your own sketches?
ARLO: Yeah.
KAPANI: Nice.
ELLIE: But to answer your earlier question, we do have a few satirical sketches that investigate deep, cutting issues at Carleton. Like sexism within physics classrooms.
NOEL WANG: We wrote a sketch challenging the standards of traditional monogamy within the Lord of the Rings Multiverse. It’s like reference humor mixed with absurdism. Which I think is sort of at the crux of Lenny Dee’s voice.
ANNA CENTER: We also wrote a sketch about putting Will Josowitz on a leash.
KAPANI: Does Lenny Dee have a voice? And how would you characterize that voice?
ASHLEY ROSENBERG: I wouldn’t get carried away. I think a lot of us borrow. You know the phrase, “Good writers borrow, great writers steal?”
KAPANI: I’ve seen that written on a SHAC stall somewhere.
WILL JOSOWITZ: I personally have stolen all of my jokes from my roommates.
ARLO: I’ve never written a sketch that is not derived from the first act of Hamilton.
ASHLEY: I steal from the Big Bang Theory.
KAPANI: How would you characterize your group?
AIDAN WALKER: Well, by day, we’re a group of intellectuals. I’m currently reading Foucault. Have you heard of him?
KAPANI: I’ve read bits and pieces.
AIDAN: I’ve read him in French. Je suis un très intelligent poisson: c’est la vie.
KAPANI: I don’t think Foucault said that.
ASHLEY: And by night, we’re incredibly good-looking.
AIDAN: We invested in the Dyson AirWrapTM for luxurious and shiny curls.
XIAOYING QU: I thought it was a little ridiculous that there was a $75 entrance fee to Lenny Dee. But then I found out it was for fuller, voluminous hair onstage. I couldn’t possibly have pulled off my Alison Byerly impression during the fall show without the confidence from the Dyson AirWrapTM.
WILL: I’ve been using the AirWrapTM for all of my headshots. I think I have a few in my bag. Would you like one?
KAPANI: No thanks.
ARLO: Sorry about that. I think our group has a different voice this year because Lenny Dee had a lot of members from the graduated Class of 2021. So our group is composed with a majority of underclassmen. It’s been really fun to reconnect with some of the reasons why I fell in love with writing sketches as a first-year too.
LIAM HEYWOOD: Yeah, this will be my first show with Dee. And the people seem cool, I guess.
NADINE MUSA: Being a member of Queens and Lenny Dee means I have this group experience, but I also go off and write stand-up too. It’s a nice balance. I mean, I’m perpetually busy, but that’s balance! In a way. I think.
WILL: Lenny Dee is definitely a big time commitment, but we invest a lot of time into the group because we love writing and performing. You get to come in, read sketches and laugh with a group of really funny people. There’s a reason why I’ve been in this group since freshman fall.
KAPANI: That’s sweet. Any last thoughts or pitches about the winter show?
XIAOYING: Don’t overthink it, just come to the show! You don’t have anything better to do anyway.
NADINE: Bring a date!
ANNA: Someone you hate!
ELLIE: Now presenting: Lenny Dee Understands the Nuance of the Situation Regarding the Northfield Wells Fargo!
Come see this group in action! Fabricated or not, this interview was composed with love and care for my favorite club at Carleton.
