Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
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“I went to a museum where they had all the heads and arms from the statues that are in all the other museums.”
“I have a map of the United States that is actual size. It says one mile equals one mile.”
”I remember when the candle shop burned down. Everyone stood outside and sang 'Happy Birthday.'”
Years ago, I spent a pair of hilarious hours watching Steven Wright do his expressionless, dry and sharp standup. I didn’t think anyone could touch the deadpan comedic genius of the deadpan comedian, but Bronco Mendenhall gave it a good shot, recently, at the Y Awards.
The stoic and straight-faced Mendenhall let his short hair down for a few minutes to participate in a skit by popular BYU-tv "Studio C" comedians.
Not straying far from the core material, Mendenhall — who I’m sure is a method actor — played his role as BYU’s head football coach. He is presented with a dilemma. A player made an important fourth-down catch, but in reality, the ball hit the ground.
Twinged with guilt, the player confesses to Mendenhall that the ball was incomplete and isn’t sure what to do since the referees called it a catch.
Miraculously, a shoulder-angel appears to help influence the situation and learns quickly that Mendenhall’s stare is no respecter of persons or angelic visitors.
Explaining the joke any further would be painful, since the skit was meant to be seen — not read.
So, how did he do?
Mendenhall gets critiqued and evaluated for every decision he makes, why should his participation in a skit be any different?
Perhaps it should, but it won’t.
Mendenhall took the stage, fully invested with expected fanatical effort and delivered the monotone performance of the night.
On the final day of spring football practice, Mendenhall was asked about his experience. While staying in character, Mendehall realized that he’s got more options on his plate than football coach.
“Not only am I the head coach of BYU, but now I have to deal with 'Saturday Night Live' and those requests,” said Mendenhall. “Letterman’s retiring, but there’s only so much to go around, and how do you travel back east and do a show and come back for practice?”
Instead of looking outside the state, perhaps he doesn’t need to transfer.
“'Studio C,' I think would like me to be an official cast member, but I have pretty limited time,” said Mendenhall.
Whether it’s on the field, in post-practice interviews or on the stage, staying in character has never been difficult for Mendenhall, and while few would classify him as funny — he can be comedic.
