‘‘I basically sit and listen as she makes me laugh,” Fouché said, adding that she helps Mele with the technical side of improv.
With few props other than a bunch of wigs and a wardrobe of red and white clothes, Mele entertains with nearly 15 different female characters, all suggested by the audience.
‘‘I always have fun in Frederick. The suggestions I get for character ideas are the most progressive there,” Mele said.
The women she portrays each have different issues on different levels, Mele explains.
‘‘They’re all a little bit nutty and they all have an issue with everything,” she said.
At the beginning of the show, Mele hands out Bloody Marys to audience members, inviting them to write up various character ideas on a block of butcher paper.
The actress, who now hails from Baltimore, has perfected this type of performance with previous comedies ‘‘Moms Gone Mad,” ‘‘Pop Goes the Placenta,” and ‘‘Roxi Starr in 3D with Elvis.”
Billed as fresh, crazy, fun and in your face, Mele’s comedic skills, in fact, are so good that she was recently a finalist in Nickelodeon’s ‘‘Funniest Mom in America”.
‘‘It was so fun. I had such fun meeting the different moms,” she said.
Mele has had a long history with improvisation. She began performing in college in Chicago where she and a group of girls formed the group Nude Coffee, performing every weekend. After moving to California, she started acting in one-woman shows with a writer before making her way to Maryland. Now she performs with a musician who she describes as ‘‘funny without trying to be funny.”
In addition to her acting work, Mele has also gained notoriety for being a member of Women Who Ride for Trek Bikes, a high-end bike company that picked her after she wrote an essay about why she loves to ride her bike.
‘‘It’s been really cool,” Mele said, adding that she blogs every day for the Trek Bike Web site and has gained a small following.
She’s looking forward to this weekend when she can bring ‘‘Woman on the Rag” to life. Only previously performed in Baltimore, Mele is hoping to expand the show to other areas.
‘‘I can guarantee I will make you laugh at least 50 times that night,” she said.
Fouché agrees. ‘‘You will definitely leave the theater with your stomach hurting,” she said.
Susan Mele presents
‘Woman on the Rag’
When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Where: Maryland Ensemble Theatre, 31 W. Patrick St., Frederick
Tickets: $20, $15 for students and seniors
For information:301-694-4744www.marylandensemble.org
