Kevin: Kids in Hall Hit the Road

By Jamie J. Anderson

Published in The Orlando Sentinel on April 14, 2000

After a five-year silence, the members of the Kids in the Hall comedy troupe are appeasing their cult-like followers with a new tour.

The Canadian group, which took a long hiatus after its movie Brain Candy bombed in 1996, is back on the road and performing to sold-out crowds.

"We've been trying to do it [go on tour] for four years," explained Kevin McDonald, a k a the Bearded Lady, Sir Simon Milligan and the King of Empty Promises. "We came close a few times, but we just finally made a pledge to take time off and do it. We never split up or anything. Brain Candy didn't do very well, so we just took time off. I swear to God, we didn't break up."

The troupe brings the "Kids in the Hall 2000 Tour: Same Guys . . . New Dresses" to Hard Rock Live Thursday, complete with cross-dressing, off- the-wall humor and outlandish characters.

The show will feature new skits involving characters from the sketch show the guys did for seven years on HBO as well as pre-shot pieces projected on three giant screens.

"The show is a good mix," explained McDonald, who will appear in the movie The Ladies Man in October. "It's two-thirds old and one-third new."

Although the members of Kids in the Hall haven't been touring together, they have stayed busy with solo projects:

Dave Foley starred in the television sitcom NewsRadio.

Scott Thompson was featured on HBO's The Larry Sanders Show.

Bruce McCulloch directed last year's Molly Shannon movie Superstar.

Mark McKinney was a regular on Saturday Night Live.

McDonald has appeared on Drew Carey and Friends but says he doesn't watch much television these days.

"I blame my girlfriend and my dog," said McDonald. "I met my girlfriend when I started taping Brain Candy. I think it was the universe's way of telling me to concentrate on being in love -- that is, if the universe is talking to me."

McDonald admits the advantage of working on the set of sitcoms is "you go to work and come back home to your girlfriend and dog."

Can you see a recurring theme?

"But the disadvantage to sitcoms is you don't have the family feeling like Kids does, and being an egomaniac, I think I could have written them better," he says, laughing. "Creatively, I enjoy Kids in the Hall much better, hands down, no question."

So McDonald says he is ready to have the best of both worlds -- be in love and travel with Kids in the Hall.

The Kids will release a documentary, directed by Foley, showing the behind-the-scenes activity during the current tour, including onstage and offstage looks at life on the road for the group.

"I hope it's not boring," McDonald said. "Hopefully, it will do well enough to spark interest in something fictional."

The Kids have no solid plans once the current tour is complete but say they hope to continue working together in some capacity.

"The plan is to be together for the rest of our lives," McDonald said. "I think the only way to do it [stay together] is to be friends. The theory is that we were friends first and will be friends last and the troupe is in the middle. That's our plan, but we're not sure if the rest of the world is ready for that."

Contributor

•  Kara Czarnecki