Backburner Sketch Comedy bids farewell to founder in final show of semester

Ian Gray
Thu, 18 Apr 2019 01:50:39 +0000
Arts & Life, News, Back(burner)street Boys: 2019 Back on the Burner World Tour, backburner sketch comedy, boy band, comedy, ohio state, ohio state university, performance, RG Barton, sendoff, senior members, sketch comedy, sketches, student group, student organization

Backburner Sketch Comedy during rehearsal on Feb. 19 at Enarson Classroom Building. Credit: Ashley Kimmel | Lantern Reporter

Backburner Sketch Comedy will host its final show of the semester on Saturday, “Back(burner)street Boys: 2019 Back on the Burner World Tour,” consisting of sketch comedy written and performed by the group’s members.

The performance will be a send-off of four senior members, including the group’s last remaining founder RG Barton. The theme parodies a Backstreet Boys reunion tour, with each of the four graduating performers, Barton, Eli Gardner, Ryan Wires and Quinn Wright, playing a boy band member.

Adam Goecke, a third-year in chemical engineering and the group’s vice president of acting, said the show will consist of four Backstreet Boys-themed sketches as well as a number of unrelated sketches handpicked by the seniors.

“We’re getting a lot of old sketches that are important to the graduating members and are genuinely a lot of our best sketches,” Goecke said.

Goecke said that though he will miss the departing members, he is excited for the club’s future.

“It’s a really cool transition now because it’s the last show for founding members,” Goecke said. “It marks a distinct transition of the group into the next generation.”

Bradford Douglas, a third-year in film studies and the club’s vice president of writing, said he’s excited to send the graduating seniors off “in style.” ?

Douglas, a member of Backburner Sketch since spring 2017, added that it is hard not to feel sad about a farewell show.

“It’s bittersweet. All four of these people have been in the club since I joined,” Douglas said. “It is going to be different without them, but I feel better off for having known them.”

Both vice presidents said they are excited and confident about the group going into next year.

“We’ve had positive growth my whole time in the group. It’s gotten better in terms of quality and quantity of shows,” Goecke said. “Now it’s just gonna be in our — hopefully competent — hands.”

Goecke and Douglas each described the event as something students won’t want to miss.

“It’s your last time to see some of the best performers, writers and editors that I’ve ever gotten to witness,” Goecke said. “Their talent level is iconic.”

The event will take place in the Ohio Union’s Great Hall Meeting Room at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. Admission is free for all.