LOL WITH IT: The Hopper Brothers' Happy Magic Fun-Time Show

Though it sounds like it, this is no kids' show. But that's the shtick. An attempt at a Mr. Rodgers, Sesame Street and Lambchop's Play Along gone terribly wrong because the hosts are bumbling, vulgar idiots.

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LOL WITH IT: The Hopper Brothers' Happy Magic Fun-Time Show

POSTED: Friday, April 29, 2011, 4:00 PM

Every Friday, Ryan Carey takes a look at who and what’s giving Philly the giggles …

Though it sounds like it, Happy Magic Fun-Time Show is no place to bring your kids. But that's the shtick. An attempt at a Mr. Rodgers, Sesame Street and Lambchop's Play Along gone terribly wrong because the hosts are bumbling, vulgar idiots.

The Hopper Brothers are played by Brandon Libby (33) and Mike Conner (29). You may recognize them as the founding members of The N Crowd — a local short-form improv troupe where they met in 2005. They started out doing yearly Christmas shows with the personas (and sweaters) that would go on to become the Hoppers. The very Steve Martin-inspired duo would "wear stupid sweaters and say ridiculous things in between singing Christmas carols." In 2008, with casting help from Philly Improv Theatre CEO Greg Maughan, they put together a full-length musical called The Hoppers Hit the Road. It premiered to solid reviews at the 2008 Fringe Fest.

"The name comes from the HBO show The Wire, which we are both fans of," says Libby. "The little drug runners are referred to as 'hoppers' so I decided that would be a perfect name. And yes, we are aware of the North Carolina family gospel ensemble, but not until after our creation had existed for a bit."

With that in mind, the Hopper Brothers forge on to do a monthly "kid's show" at Philly Improv Theater. Libby says one of his favorite parts is how the puppeteers are not hidden. They wear black but their faces are white so their reactions really pop out.

"We host and sprinkle in a few Hopper Brothers' songs, but we are rounded out by a motley crew that includes a talking dog, our curmudgeonly stage manager, and a band of puppets. The real joy of the show is watching our insanely talented cast (B.J. Ellis, Vegas Lancaster, Alan Williams, and Steve Cohen). The Happy Magic Fun-Time Show asks a lot of its actors. It's a mix of long-form, short-form, sketch, music, puppetry, video, and anything else you can dream up. With all these elements, it's fortunate that we have a group capable of pulling everything together."

Usually performing on a Friday, the Hopper Brothers are getting PHIT's prime Saturday night slot (9:30 p.m.) while a bunch of Philly's improvers are headed out to the Chicago Improv Festival. Tickets are $10 and you can stay for PHIT's free late-night improv jam at 11 p.m.

For tickets, visit phillyimprovtheater.com. In the meantime, enjoy a video of The Hopper Brothers performing "The Grandma Song."

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Featuring everything from event roundups to concert reviews and sex talk, City Paper's Critical Mass is a space for off-the-wall coverage of Philly's A&E scene.

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