"Who's on first?" and Lester's made of wood

Normally a comedy team performing the classic Abbot and Costello routine "Who's on First" would be standard fare, but when one of the team is made of wood, it becomes a bit more entertaining.

That was one of the bits performed by the team of Willie Tyler and Lester, Saturday night at the Fitness Center. They wowed the crowd of at least ... twenty people as part of Welcome Week. The small group didn't keep the duo from making the large room echo with laughter.

They told their jokes and bickered some, and even sang a song or two. One of the more impressive parts came when Willie sang and Lester hummed at the same time. The two have been performing together for over twenty years, and Willie has never worked alone or with any other characters. "Lester and I have always been an item, so to speak," said Tyler.

Tyler's ventriloquist aspirations began early in life, and it was commonly known around his neighborhood. "If there was ever a noise that wasn't accounted for, they would blame me. Even if I didn't do it," said Tyler. He created the Lester character when he was ten years old, and both their voices were a bit higher pitched. "I tried a little falsetto for Lester. When my voice changed, his voice changed. We went through puberty together," said Tyler.

To add to the realism, and to dispute the accusations that Lester's voice is prerecorded, the duo work the crowd. Tyler is a gifted ad-libber, and he and Lester create laughs at the audiences expense. Of course, they never are vulgar or cruel, which is refreshing for a comedian.

Tyler takes the high road, and avoids what he calls the stereotyping of dummies. Most dummy characters seen on television or film are either very horny or come to life as killers. "There were episodes of '"he Twilight Zone" that had the character of a ventriloquist as devious. Or people think of shades of "Magic," the movie with Anthony Hopkins," said Tyler. He also gave an explanation as to why dummies always talk about sex. "They're little characters and little guys ... they have to make more noise. They've got to make up for the height somehow."

With all of the scary movies about dummies coming to life, it's a wonder that Tyler doesn't have nightmares all of the time. "The only time I had something happen was when I was staying in a hotel with a club downstairs. I was watching the movie ["The Exorcist"] and I fell asleep. Then all of a sudden, I heard these noises [growls from the movie], and then I was in a cold sweat. When I woke up, the first place I looked was at Lester's case."

Lester stays inside a Haliburton suitcase until show time, and Tyler learned the hard way about waiting to bring Lester out of the box. "I used to grab him and take him out of the case right in front of kids and they would freak," said Tyler.

The two do have arguments, just like any couple would, but Tyler likes to keep it on the stage. "We don't go to the hotel room and argue," said Tyler. "That gets into the gray area. That's strange."