European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 24, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thea Vidal surrounded by Brandy Norwood Brand in Jefferson Jason Weaver and Adam Jeffries in  Thea s humor still standing beyond sitcom by Gene Stout Seattle Post intelligencer Tiea Vidale describes her stand up comedy show As Down and  it s about racism sexism sexually explicit things said the Star of the Abc sit com Thea in which she plays a widowed Mother of four who works in a supermarket. Vidale performed recently in Seattle. It s going to be different from the television show. And i think it should be different from the television show. There s just too much syrup on Tele vision. Let s get to the real  Vidale promises her audience won t leave without learning something about life. You can t come to my shows and not learn a lesson she said. It s Gonna be fun Trust me. You re Gonna have a Good time but you re going to learn something  her audience might get a lesson in race relations for example. Racism still affects me every Day of my life she said with prickly indignation. I go to the store and people follow me. It s not because i m Thea it s because i m  Vidale s career began about 10 years ago in Pas Adena Texas where the future to Star was a Wise cracking waitress at a local restaurant. Vidale made her debut As a stand up comic at a Lub there in 1986. Soon she was doing Well enough to appear in Hob s Rodney Dangerfield special where s Rod Ney but her Pursuit of Success had its Price. Unable to provide for her four children while pursuing her dream career Vidale granted custody to her sex Hus band. Children need stability children need love. But you have to have some financial backing and i had none. I saw no reason to take them out of an environment that was Safe. They had everything they needed she said. Though she talks to her children daily by phone the separation is Tough. But she feels she and her children have reached an understanding. My daughter said just think mama if you d a stayed with daddy you never would been nothing. You would a got your dream.1 my children know this is my dream. And it s a dream for them too.". Her humorous views on child rearing and family life led to producers Bernie Kukoff and Andrew Susskind to create the Semi autobiographical Thea. Vidale contends the Best Way to Deal with kids is to trick them. When she was a teen Ager her Mother often scolded her for coming in late. Vidale dreaded re turning Home and finding her Mother waiting up for her on the living room Couch. I walked in one night and did t see mama on the Couch. I said to myself yes yes mama s gone to bed. I m in the Clear then i go up to my bed room and that woman is in my bed one of Vidale s favorite targets is men. To her a Man is about As useful As a left handed steering wheel. She remembers her father As a Man who could t Cook anything without burning it. I think men should be seen and not heard much like Chil Dren and dogs she said with a Jolly laugh. In fact if you could just Cut out three things the dogs the kids and the men you d have a pretty quiet  1 Macdonald keeps beefing up f is act by Scott Williams a television writer 1 s comedian Mike Macdonald simply the Best kept secret in Hollywood or is he merely the last great undiscovered Canadian comic gee i Hope i m not the last one he says with an audible wince. But i know i  what would he say to the ignoramus who asks where he has been All these years i be been right Here Macdonald says letting stage anguish leak into his voice. Right Here waiting for you to catch up with me just patiently trying not to be bitter. Try ing to be a positive  Mac Dorwald is too Well adjusted to be bit Ter but the irony of his predicament in t lost on him he has been a " Star in his Homeland for about a decade but remains As obscure i As off Brand Canadian lager to . Audiences. Happy As i can Ete which aired recently on stateside to is his third special on Cable s Showtime special. Thank you Showtime for your Faith in Mac Donald. His comedy is sharper angrier and funnier than it has Ever been. There s always a double version of these things done for the Canadian and . Television networks he said. I kept waiting for them to come to me and say could you take out that line about paedophiles in the Catholic Church can you just edit that out i was just glad they did t touch  originally scheduled for a half hour the special included some audience by play that would t fit the format. So they said show us a rough Cut for an hour " he said. I really think it let me breathe up  he also credited his really Cool Vancou ver b.c., audience. A Friend asked me Why do you shoot All your specials in Canada i show him a tape and ask what do you hear he says you doing comedy anything else no a hah " some of the material in the new special is 10 years old he said which worried him Little. A lot of times in comedy the first time you do a Brand new joke it s the Best Way you la Ever do it and each other time it s trying to re create that moment. We were just Fortu Nate to have seven cameras in front of  Macdonald also worried because the Spe Cial was shot More than a year ago. I kept worrying is Clinton going to solve the Gays in the military boy am i going to look stupid thanks to government bureaucracy i Haven been let Down. Certain jokes have an expiration Date. I m very jealous of Letterman and Leno some times who have a joke and get a Chance to get and of it in front of 2 million people. If i have a joke with an expiry Date i have four weeks to get it out in a club and maybe four or five thousand people will see  Mike Macdonald Page 20 sunday april 24, 1994