Martin and Short keep the laughs coming
Longtime pals and collaborators bring stage show to Stanford
Fans could be seeing a lot of Steve Martin and Martin Short these days.
Season 2 of their series “Only Murders in the Building” debuted this week on the subscription streaming series Hulu, and the actors are bringing their live show to Stanford University tonight, performing at Frost Amphitheatre.
The pair have been friends since they made the 1986 comedy “Three Amigos!” with Chevy Chase and have been doing live shows together since 2015. This edition is called “You Won't Believe What They Look Like Today!” Poster art features a photo of Martin from the 1970s, when he became a star during his “wild and crazy guy” stand-up period, and a shot of Short from early in his career, when he became known from his work on “SCTV” and “Saturday Night Live” in the 1970s and '80s.
They are now 76 and 72, respectively.
In a joint phone interview, Martin said Short came up with the title.
MARTIN >> “I thought it was a good click bait title.
“I don't know if people are getting it, or just ignoring it, or just think those are current pictures of us.”
SHORT >> “I think that they're looking at it and smiling. They're not laughing. Don't get me wrong. But they're smiling.”
That's the kind of humor that fills their live shows. They spend the evening making fun of each other and themselves as well as show business egos.
“Of all the people that I have a fake showbiz relationship with, I feel the fake closest to you,” Short
tells Martin in a 2018 show that is available on Netflix.
“You know what I like about touring with Marty Short?” Martin
says. “No paparazzi.”
Their act includes banter, a slide show, props and music. The cast includes Jeff Babko, Short's
accompanist, and the Steep Canyon Rangers, a bluegrass group that frequently is joined by Martin, who is a banjo player.
MARTIN >> “It's very jam-packed, a million, jokes, a million bits, different characters. It's a fast-moving, very, very funny show. And I will say my banjo playing sometimes gets a standing ovation.”
SHORT >> “You can tell people are standing to leave.”
MARTIN >> “Oh, I see.”
Most of the material is new, according to Martin.
“There are a lot of changes, but the shape is the same. We like the shape. We like certain things. We keep it. We have a new closer. We have a new encore. So there are a lot of things that are different. Plus, our audience is older. They won't actually remember what we did.”
Their chemistry is also on display in “Only Murders in the Building,” which also stars Selena Gomez. The three play amateur sleuths in New York City who bond creating a true-crime podcast about the murder of a neighbor. The cast includes several Broadway actors, including Nathan Lane, TV stars such as Tina Fey and Jane Lynch, and quirky guest stars. Sting, playing himself, is one of the murder suspects.
Season 2 begins where the first season left off, according to Hulu, with the trio being arrested for a new crime after solving the murder.
Martin said new episodes will follow the same formula as Season 1, with lots of twists and guest stars, including Shirley MacLaine.
“We've seen it. We've seen everything but the final episode, and we really like it.”
Working so frequently with Martin has deepened their friendship, according to Short.
“I think it made it more intense. When you get to hang with someone you enjoy hanging with, it confirms what you always know, and that's a good thing.”
Their wisecracks may surprise their audiences, but they don't surprise each other.
MARTIN >> “Marty makes me laugh. I don't know if that counts as surprise.”
SHORT >> “If I never made you laugh, that would be a surprise, yes.”