Stage: Funny Money

By Barbara Scherzer

Jeff Hobson is an edgy comic who has been delivering magic tricks spiked by one-liners to local audiences for more than 15 years. In his first one-man show here--Jeff Hobson's Money and Madness--he breezily mixes his act with cash. As he vocalizes sound effects for nearly every known body orifice, tells ribald tales and mystifies unsuspecting audience members, this funny show flies by.

Your first clue that Hobson's humor is a little bent is his opener: movie clips of kids in various states of upchucking all over themselves and their parents. Dressed in a flowing red cape and glitter jacket, which he dubs his Liberace starter kit, Hobson next demonstrates his considerable fire-eating skills. To the accompaniment of "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," he humorously attempts to keep a cigarette lighted.

While playing a sexually ambiguous character, he admonishes his audience to loosen up. Then the groaners start. He refers to Wisconsin as the land where you can smell the dairy air. He speaks of a Kaopectate festival that takes place in Flushing, N.Y. During one routine, a volunteer selects a card, and is prompted to sign across its face the words "dancing queen." Hobson then demonstrates his sleight-of-tongue shuffle.

With the madness portion of the show well under way, Hobson turns his attention to money. There is no contest or competition--he simply gives away hundreds of dollar bills each night. Before venturing into the audience with the cash, Hobson lists his safety tips. Everyone must remain seated. A little pinching (of Hobson) is okay, but no slapping or hitting is allowed.

As Hobson weaves his way through the room, some folks kiss his cheek to get the bills. For others, he simply throws money in their general direction with no required reciprocation. He also pays off the volunteers who assist him with his magic stunts.

His audience-assisted egg-and-bag illusion is impressive. But when he repeats the trick in slow motion with every word and action intact verbatim, the cascade of laughter is unstoppable. When needed, Hobson also improvises well. He received much audience applause when he commandeered a ringing cell phone from a guest who kept refusing to turn the intrusive thing off.

This show overflows with adult language and themes, so leave the kids at home. Jeff Hobson's Money and Madness successfully casts a spell with a heady blend of magic and mania.