The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
‘Mystery Science Theater 3000’ coming
Netflix reboot of popular series takes its show on the road
‘Mystery Science Theater 3000 Live: Watch out for Snakes! Tour’ comes to Cleveland Aug. 8.
When it comes to wisecracking, comedian Jonah Ray is a true professional. And as co-host of “The Nerdist Podcast” and Comedy Central’s “The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail,” he’d have to be.
“Hello, I’m calling from Denver,” said Ray, calling from the Mile High City. “The air is thin, the people are not. I was trying to think of something clever to say, but then I just came off as just mean.”
Mean or funny, Ray is at his best when attempting to find jokes in the mundane. As a comic, actor and writer, the funnyman has made the rounds in Los Angeles on various shows, but his most recent adventure is a true labor of love. He was named the host of the new “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” which debuted earlier this year on Netflix.
What’s even crazier is the funny show, which found a cult following in the ’90s on Comedy Central, was the subject of a Kickstarter campaign that raised more than $5 million. Moving ahead, show creator Joel Hodgson decided Ray was the right guy to lead the franchise into the future.
“Just getting the job was pretty crazy,” Ray said. “With Kickstarter, I was the type of person who would have given a ton a money if I wasn’t involved. And it’s kind of weird, but I ended up donating money myself.
“When I was offered the job, I was pretty blown away. I’d been talking to Joel about it for 18 months. He was like, ‘I may bring it back.’ I said, ‘I’ll work on it anyway you want me to — write or produce or direct.’ And then he said, ‘I’ve been thinking about it — you should just be the guy.’ I said, “Which guy?’ He said, ‘The main guy.’”
Apparently he was the right guy for the job. Not only was the reboot critically
acclaimed — it scored a 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes — but audiences were clamoring for a live show.
Now Ray is a part of “The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Live: Watch out for Snakes! Tour,” which comes to the Rock Hall City Aug. 4 at Playhouse Square’s Ohio Theater.
Along with Ray, Hodgson will be present, as well as robot companions Crow (Hampton Yount), Tom Servo and Gypsy, Synthia (Rebecca Hanson) and her bonehead henchmen. There’s also the Mads, Kinga Forrester (Felicia Day) and TV’s Son of TV’s Frank (Patton Oswalt). The latter will check in via a video screen.
Audiences attending the show should expect songs, sketches, props, a movie (“Eegah”) and, of course, robots. Ray said his favorite part of the program is unscripted.
“Honestly, when things go a little wrong during the sketches, I really love it because it’s like real in the moment and it’s silly and fun,” said Ray, who visited Cleveland last winter to film bits for his Seeso streaming travel show “Hidden America.”
“It was my first time there, and I really loved it,” Ray said. “I actually went surfing in Lake Erie. It was December, so it was pretty brutal. You know, once I got into the water, it was warmer than the air. I stopped shivering and then I refused to come out. But there were waves, I almost got up once.”
Considering he already surfed in freezing conditions, any chance Ray will be returning to Edgewater Beach for more surfing?
“There won’t be any waves in the summer,” Ray said. “Probably I’ll just use it to cool off, but I don’t know, the Ohio River has a shark in it, so maybe I won’t go in the water.”
Now that’s just mean.