Vacant Lot Trade TV for Clubs
By Andrew Clark

I'm sitting in a seafood restaurant with Rob Gfroerer and Paul Greenberg. Also known as Paul and Rob, one half of the sketch troupe The Vacant Lot. In 1993, The Vacant Lot, backed by Lorne Michaels' production company, Broadway Video, had an eponymous six-show deal with the CBC and Comedy Central.

They went almost as far as a troupe could go in the great light north. The CBC, however, changed course in 1994 and decided to pass on renewing the series, which although it had its faults deserved another chance. Instead the CBC opted to skew old.

Enter *Rita & Friends*. Exit *The Vacant Lot*.

The Vacant Lot has remained active since its departure from Canadian television.

The troupe's production company, TVL, has produced a Father's Day special for the U.S.A. Network. The other half of the troupe, Nick McKinney and Vito Viscomi are currently working on an online comedy program for Microsoft. Gfroerer and Greenberg have busied themselves working in Los Angeles and Toronto. The Vacant Lot are still a group, although a dormant one for now. It remains, says 29-year-old Gfroerer, a "comedy hippie commune."

The latest offering from Gfroerer and Greenberg, *Murphy's Law*, takes place on July 31 and again on Aug. 15 at The Rivoli, 334 Queen St. W. According to its press release, the 45-minute show is the story of two "show busines losers who reunite for one last song and dance extravaganza."

Are they taking a referential shot at themselves? Is this cutting things a little too close to home?

The gag draws a laugh from 31-year-old Greenberg, who is sporting his favorite T-shirt, a *Planet Of The Apes* number with the words "This is Marcus: Head of Security Police. His specialties: violence and torture. His mission: To keep man a caged animal on the planet of the apes." It's a perfect example of the pop-culture silliness the troupe became famous for in the early 1990s.

The duo of Gfroerer and Greenberg was always the more physical side of The Vacant Lot, with an emphasis on broad character work. *Murphy's Law* is the pair's take on the wages of show-biz. it was inspired by the time they spent living together in L.A. and, Greenberg says, "hating each other."

"We love the idea of people hating each other but having to work together," he says. "And we wanted to do something showbiz-related. it's an idiotic job, sticking on a hat and asking people to take you seriously. That's what makes it so absurd."

The protagonists in *Murphy's Law* are one-shot wonders, like, Gfroerer offers, The Hudson Brothers. Paul is a stickler for routine. Rob is constantly craving experimentation. The contrast leads to disaster. After a particularly horrific performance on the Jerry Lewis Telethon comes the split up. But the wishes of an ailing child bring them back together for one final kick at the can.

"Look at The Hudson Brothers," Greenberg explains. "They were bothers and they broke up."

Unlike many troupes, The Vacant Lot have remained pals. This cozy karma is already paying off. Their fan club, which disbanded in 1994, has reformed. This time in Michigan. Says Greenberg, "After a year of so they found out we weren't on television any more. So now they have a fan club that's trying to get us back on."

"And I," says Gfroerer, "am dating them both."