comedy
Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium.
Origins
Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...
troupe that comprises
Jay Chandrasekhar
Jayanth Jambulingam Chandrasekhar (born April 9, 1968) is an American comedian, film director, screenwriter, actor and editor. He is best known for his work with the sketch comedy group Broken Lizard and for directing and starring in the Broken ...
Steve Lemme
Stephen Carlos Lemme (born November 13, 1968) is an American actor, writer, and producer, and one of the members of the Broken Lizard comedy group.
Early life
Lemme attended Dalton School, a high school in New York, but after one year transfe ...
,
Paul Soter
Paul Soter (born August 16, 1969) is an American actor, writer, and director, and one of the members of the Broken Lizard comedy group. As a child, he lived in Sacramento, Anchorage, Phoenix, and Denver. He graduated from Colgate University
...
, and
Erik Stolhanske
Erik Stolhanske (born August 23, 1971) is an American actor, writer, producer and a member of the Broken Lizard comedy group. He is best known as “Officer Rabbit” from the cult-classic comedy ''Super Troopers'' (2001) and its sequel, '' Super ...
. They collaborate on the screen-writing, acting and productions of their films, with Chandrasekhar and Heffernan being the primary directors; the team however does not have any single leader and they work collaboratively when choosing material and writing projects.
History
The group formed at
Colgate University
Colgate University is a Private university, private college in Hamilton, New York, United States. The Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York ...
in 1989 when
Jay Chandrasekhar
Jayanth Jambulingam Chandrasekhar (born April 9, 1968) is an American comedian, film director, screenwriter, actor and editor. He is best known for his work with the sketch comedy group Broken Lizard and for directing and starring in the Broken ...
was asked by a friend and fellow student, Ira Liss, to put together a comedy show. Chandrasekhar agreed and assembled a sketch comedy troupe which included Kevin Heffernan,
Steve Lemme
Stephen Carlos Lemme (born November 13, 1968) is an American actor, writer, and producer, and one of the members of the Broken Lizard comedy group.
Early life
Lemme attended Dalton School, a high school in New York, but after one year transfe ...
,
Paul Soter
Paul Soter (born August 16, 1969) is an American actor, writer, and director, and one of the members of the Broken Lizard comedy group. As a child, he lived in Sacramento, Anchorage, Phoenix, and Denver. He graduated from Colgate University
...
, and
Erik Stolhanske
Erik Stolhanske (born August 23, 1971) is an American actor, writer, producer and a member of the Broken Lizard comedy group. He is best known as “Officer Rabbit” from the cult-classic comedy ''Super Troopers'' (2001) and its sequel, '' Super ...
, all members of the
Beta Theta Pi
Beta Theta Pi (), commonly known as Beta, is a North American social Fraternities and sororities in North America, fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. One of North America's oldest fraternities, , it consist ...
fraternity. The team performed a combination of live stage sketches and short videos under the name "Charred Goosebeak". Charred Goosebeak continues to exist at Colgate to this day.
After graduation, the members reunited in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
and spent the next few years performing at various clubs, mostly Greenwich Village mainstay The Duplex, under the name "Broken Lizard". The group offered various explanations of the origin of this
moniker
A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...
over the years, ranging from a euphemism for loss of virility to a tribute to Chandrasekhar's pet allergies. Most recently, the members admitted that Chandrasekhar simply made up the name "off the top of his head" when he had their first flyer printed. Another possible name that was discarded was "Chocolate Speedo".
Broken Lizard spent the next few years performing at clubs and college campuses. Its membership dwindled to the five current performers. By the mid-1990s, the group's interests shifted away from live material as they became more interested in filmed content. They wrote and acted in ''Dante's Levels of Hell'', a series of
Puddle Cruiser
''Puddle Cruiser'' is a 1996 American comedy film, the first full-length film created by the Broken Lizard comedy group. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. The movie was filmed entirely on the campus of Colgate University, the alma mate ...
'' (1996)
*''
Super Troopers
''Super Troopers'' is a 2001 American comedy film directed by Jay Chandrasekhar and written by and starring the Broken Lizard comedy group (Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter and Erik Stolhanske). Marisa Coughlan, Da ...
'' (2001)
*''
Club Dread
''Club Dread'' (also known as ''Broken Lizard's Club Dread'') is a 2004 comedy slasher film directed by Jay Chandrasekhar and written by and starring the comedy troupe Broken Lizard, Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter ...
'' (2004)
*''
The Dukes of Hazzard
''The Dukes of Hazzard'' is an American action comedy television series created by Gy Waldron that aired on CBS from January 26, 1979, to February 8, 1985, with a total of seven seasons consisting of List of The Dukes of Hazzard episodes, 147 ...
'' (2005) (directed by Chandrasekhar with cameos by each of the troupe members)
*''
Beerfest
''Beerfest'' is a 2006 American comedy film directed by Jay Chandrasekhar and written by the comedy group Broken Lizard (Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan (actor), Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhanske), who also star in th ...
'' (2006)
*''
The Slammin' Salmon
''The Slammin' Salmon'' is a 2009 American comedy film by the comedy troupe Broken Lizard. It is about the owner of a restaurant who holds a contest to see which one of his waiters can earn the most money in a single night. The winner receives $ ...
'' (2009)
*'' Broken Lizard Stands Up'' (2010)
*'' Freeloaders'' (2012) (produced by Broken Lizard with cameos by each of the troupe members)
*''
The Babymakers
''The Babymakers'' is a 2012 American comedy film directed by Jay Chandrasekhar, and starring Paul Schneider, Olivia Munn and Kevin Heffernan. Chandrasekhar and Heffernan are both members of Broken Lizard. The film received a limited release on A ...
'' (2012) (directed & produced by Chandrasekhar who appears in a supporting role along with Heffernan)
*''
Super Troopers 2
''Super Troopers 2'' is a 2018 American comedy film directed by Jay Chandrasekhar. A sequel to the 2001 film ''Super Troopers'', the film was written by and stars the Broken Lizard comedy team, made up of Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Le ...
'' (2018)
*''
Tacoma FD
''Tacoma FD'' is an American television sitcom set in a firehouse in Tacoma, Washington. The series premiered on March 28, 2019, on truTV. In November 2021, the series was renewed for a fourth season, premiering on July 20, 2023. In February 2024 ...
'' (2019-2023) (Kevin Heffernan and Steve Lemme, not the Broken Lizard group)
* ''
Quasi
''Quasi'' may refer to:
*Quasi (band), American indie rock band
* ''Quasi'' (film), 2023 American film
*Quasi, a musical term meaning "almost"
* ''Quasi'' (fly), a genus of insect
* ''Quasi'' (sculpture), an artwork in Wellington, New Zealand
*"Q ...