Hollywood, I have discovered, is full of un-hailed talent—people who have the right chops, the right looks and the right attitudes and yet, haven’t quite gotten the attention they deserve.

For instance, about 10 years ago, I chanced upon a two-person show in a small theater in Santa Monica called the Powerhouse Theater.  It was a musical comedy called “The Comedy of Oedipus Rex”.  I know you’re thinking “What?  A musical comedy about Oedipus Rex?”

I wasn’t sure what to expect either, but it turned out to be one of the funniest plays I had ever seen!  By the end of it, I was in tears of laughter as Oded Gross and his wife Regan Forman acted out multiple parts, sang and danced to tunes like Give Your Mama Some Lovin’.

Some choice lyrics from the song (courtesy of Oded Gross):

Just give your mama

Love like your daddy gave me, he knew what to do
What’s good for daddy should be good enough for you
They say the acorn doesn’t fall far from the tree
So stop your petty whining boy and satisfy me

Give your mama some lovin’
Little Kissin’ and huggin’
A little pushin’ and shovin’
Like two monkeys in the zoo

This was performed with gyrating dance moves across the stage and was admittedly  hilarious in a demented way.

The show was so good, in fact, that I called up my friends and went back to see an extended version with “The Comedy of Romeo and Juliet” added to the bill.  In fact, I went back to see it again after that, which is saying a lot, since I normally only see stage plays about once every other year.  These two wrote, starred and sang in the show and were brilliant with their comic timing and ability to improv.

They were good enough to be invited to perform at the now defunct HBO Workspace.  The HBO Workspace was a place for rising comedians and actors to hone their material and perform to an invitation-only audience that might include HBO execs and industry people.

I was sure these two were on the rise and would soon be appearing on SNL. But I have since discovered from first hand experience, as well as from fellow bloggers here, how trying to make it in Hollywood is a tragic comedy in itself.

After mentioning this play at a recent dinner conversation, I decided to look these two up to see what was happening with them and found a couple of amusing videos on youtube:

Here’s one called “Just Found a Red Sock in the Laundry (While Washing my Klu Klux Klan Sheet)”  (Regan has a cameo).

At least their talent seems to have won them a trip to Australia.  Here’s their winning submission:

I decided to contact Oded, introduce myself and get some first hand info, rather than randomly blogging about someone I don’t know.  So, in Part II, I will post my interview with Oded.