Dallas — Clenched is David Mogolov’s sketch about tension and relaxation. A comedic storyteller, he works from a seated position on a bare stage and begins with an explanation of the importance of design in his world. Specifically, font design. He abstracts out from design to tension and relaxation, connecting these seemingly unrelated topics with fluidity. This piece is very well-written.
Comedy is hard. The writer has first to identify something or someone that the audience can find funny. That is easier said than done. Mogolov has selected himself as the source and he directs the audience to a fact about him that can be sold as a quirk or an idiosyncrasy. In Clenched he is the guy with a “thing” for fonts. Not “thing” as in creepy, but as in invested to the point of obsession. From there he moves toward what will be the core of the sketch (tension and relaxation) in a smooth and logical fashion. The unrelated topics now appear to be organically connected.
The second major challenge of comedy is the telling of the story. Mogolov pushes the comedy in a couple of areas, which is unnecessary. If the writing is good, trust it. Overall this is entertaining and not in any way for the lazy listener. One has to be alert and think quickly or risk missing a lot of clever witticisms and references coming at a rapid-fire pace.
Clenched continues with the following performances:
- 7:30pm | Saturday, June 11
» Read our interview with David Mogolov
» Click here to see our listing for Clenched
» To see a full schedule of shows, go here
» See our DSF special section for more interviews, reviews and more 
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