Just Do It

Look Mom, I'm Swell!

by Mark Cofta

Through May 3, $25, Arden Theatre Co., 40 N. Second St., 215-922-1122, ardentheatre.org

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If you don't know Tony Braithwaite, well, he's hard to describe and even harder to believe — a wisecracking dynamo with great impersonation skills and killer comic timing who's impossible not to love. Once, at a Barrymore Awards ceremony in the 1,000-seat Zellerbach auditorium, Braithwaite worked the crowd as MC, cleverly skewering every local theater celebrity in sight. We all roared, and no one got hurt.

His puckish energy can carry a show, like the Arden's hilarious A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum or his Barrymore-winning turn in Act II Playhouse's The Big Bang, but he's also a selfless performer who excels in comic ensembles, such as the 1812 Productions' holiday shows. In his autobiographical solo show, Look Mom, I'm Swell! he does impressions, tells stories, sings songs, welcomes different surprise guests and, of course, does what he does best: plays the audience, a tightrope act that no one does better.

Look Mom, I'm Swell! sold out last year, so the Arden has revived it for a short run. If Braithwaite lovers leave any tickets unsold, take the opportunity to meet a rare talent — you'll soon be a believer.