'Simpsons' Go Live For Comedy Fest
Actors To Perform In Character For Event
For the past five years, the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival has featured various comedic performing arts, theatre, television and film. According to Variety, it also showcases new and alternative talents including sketch and solo comedy found in a year-round international talent search.
Next year's "Festival of 2000" has signed most of "The Simpsons" regular cast members to perform a live version of the long-running animated FOX sitcom. This is the first time the actors have performed these characters live.
The actors will twice re-enact a past TV episode that will be "appropriate for the Aspen environment," Stu Smiley, the events executive producer and co-founder, told reporters.
The performance is part of a series of planned events commemorating the 10th anniversary of "The Simpsons," currently primetime's longest running comedy.
According to Variety, the actors scheduled to attend the comedy fest include Dan Castellaneta (Homer), Nancy Cartwright (Bart), Yeardly Smith (Lisa), Hank Azaria, (Moe, Apu, Chief Wiggum and others), Harry Shearer (Montgomery Burns, Smithers, Principal Skinner and others). Julie Kavner, the voice of Marge, has yet to agree but may still appear.
Also scheduled for the event are executive producers James L. Brooks, Matt Groening and Mike Scully.
Smiley noted that very few people ever get to see "The Simpsons" actors record their characters' voices. "For the fans, the actual consumers, this is the kind of event they'd love to see," he told reporters.
Smiley said there are no plans to televise the event on HBO, which sponsors the festival.
The Comedy Arts Festival will also feature a "Smothers Brothers" reunion with the comedy duo teaming up with writers from their 1960's CBS comedy series, which include Steve Martin and Rob Reiner. Their appearance will commemorate the cancellation of it and other politically controversial shows.
Among the annual awards, Variety reports director Barry Levinson will receive the AFI filmmaker award. Robin Williams, Mike Nichols, Elaine May and Jerry Lewis will be honored for "lifelong contributions to comedy."
Past festival events have included other comedy cast reunions, including one for "Monty Pythons' Flying Circus," but this is the first time a series cast has performed in their characters for audiences at the festival.
