THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 19, 1994 TAG: 9410190074
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E01 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICKEY WRIGHT, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines
ELAYNE BOOSLER is no stranger to TV. But don't expect this comedian to follow her fellows into situation-comedy land.
``Not every ball player opens a restaurant,'' notes Boosler, who will appear Wednesday at the Virginia Beach Pavilion. ``Some do, and people say, `Well, isn't that the natural progression?' No, it's not. I'm not a cook, and I don't pretend to be. It's just become the lately new thing.''
Boosler, whose resume includes Showtime specials and short films she's written, directed and starred in for Cinemax, doesn't question other comics' decision to go into weekly TV. But it's not for her - and not just because she'd rather control her own work.
``That's not why. It's a very different job,'' she says. ``It's like the difference between theater and the movies. Actresses say, `I can't wait to get back to the theater,' and I can see why: It's so instant and alive, such an immediate audience reaction.
``And the hours are bad. I can't see going in when it's dark and coming back out when it's dark.''
Boosler prefers instead to split her schedule between touring and preparing film projects. With her success comes the freedom to do as many live dates as she likes, and no more. Earlier this week, she was home in Los Angeles.
``Travel's a drag, for the most part,'' she says of the road life. ``I did Maui last week, though, and that was wonderful. But then I had to fly straight to Detroit, and that canceled out the whole thing. I get tired, but then everybody gets tired at work, and travel is part of my work.''
The biggest disadvantage is leaving her dogs behind.
``That's the only downside,'' she says. ``I look forward to coming home to them. If it weren't for them, I'd stay gone all the time. But I come back and have to know everything they've been doing.''
Among the Brooklyn native's favorite places are such disparate locales as England and the American South and West.
``I like every part of Louisiana, and the West when you can go skiing,'' she says.
The sale of her specials abroad led to a continuing career in Britain, where she's been part of the 75th anniversary Command Performance for the queen and a live BBC Easter special from the London Palladium.
``It's everything you read about as a kid,'' she says. ``You see all the pictures in the books, and the buildings are right there.''
Does she tailor her act for the English?
``Oh yeah, sure,'' Boosler says. ``Certain words have to be changed; there's just not the shorthand of a shared society. There's a kind of shared indignation among them, but they're really less civilized than Americans in a lot of ways.''
Boosler blames herself for the recent troubles within the royal family.
``I think it's my fault,'' she says. ``I go over there, and the next week, everybody's talking about how they've got 16 lovers. I think I loosened the country up. It's always been going on. Well, there's a rich history of that - chopping off one's head when you're ready for another one and all that. It was a lot harder breaking up in medieval times, when you had nine wives in the tower.''
Might she tread lightly on the subject during her next visit there?
``I'd take the temperature of the crowd and proceed from there, but I wouldn't avoid it. I've offended people (there) when I haven't even done anything! Talking about being single and having sex, you know - but, hey,'' she sings, `` `I've gotta be me.'
``They don't like you talking about things like that, but really, when you come right down to it, they're just Hoboken.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
Elayne Boosler likes the immediate reactions of a live audience.
ELAYNE BOOSLER
When: 8 tonight
Where: Virginia Beach Pavilion
Tickets: $20 and $23
Information: 428-8000
KEYWORDS: PROFILE
by CNB