Compton & Bennett-Let the Satire Roll

From local celebrities to county commissioners, no one is spared the satirical jabs of Rick Compton and Betsy Bennett. The duo, known as Compton & Bennett, has been poking fun at life in Southwest Florida for more than a decade. Now, with numerous stage shows, radio appearances, cabarets and CDs behind them, they're at it again. Much Ado About Naples (also starring Erin Laughlin and Mark McClellan) opens June 9 at the Norris Center in Naples and runs through the beginning of July. The duo will also perform a one-act cabaret at the English Pub the rest of the summer. We caught up with the pair in their Golden Gate Estates studio to chat about the show, their future, and who's on the skewer this time around.

Q: Why a summer show? Why not open during season?

Rick: We wanted to do something for the year-rounders. We thought they might have a better sense of humor about the kind of stuff that was going on. [Plus] the summertime is the best time of year here. Everybody is all relaxed.

Betsy: In the summer, a lot of people think there's nobody here. Well, there is; and they are very sophisticated people. They know the issues, they know what's going on, and they love it.

Q: How is Much Ado different from your past shows, like How to Succeed in Naples Without Really Trying or The History of Collier County According to Us?

Rick: This show is about growth. We mean that in the cancerous sense, like, "I have a growth on my arm." Naples hasn't so much grown as it's metastasized. Also, this show is going to be more like a musical. The last show [was] more revue-like. [In Much Ado] we have our anti-hero, Jack Raykitinagain. He's an allegory for greed. Everything he does has to do with growth and real estate. His first endeavor will be in front of the county commission trying to develop three places. First, the Naples Pier. I mean the Pier itself. I don't mean the beach area.

Betsy: Penthouse on the Pier!

Rick: [Second,] the median strips on the highway. And the third, of course, is the land around the zoo. Now this is a Shakespeare-based play. So the first scene is called the Taming of the Zoo.

Betsy: Then the Trophy Wives of Windsor.

Rick: Windsor is actually a development in Pelican Bay, so we think it's very appropriate.

Q: How do you choose your topics?

Rick: This is a community rife with irony. All of us choose to live here. We're all rushing in and then telling our friends how wonderful it is here and inviting them to visit us. When they're here we take them to see condos. And yet, we gripe about the growth. That's one basic irony.

Q: Any other targets?

Rick: We talk about people who are chronic writers of letters to the editor. I'm going to spoof myself, Dr. Quigley, Antiques Roadshow and others.

Q: There's no place you're afraid to step?

Rick: Pelican Bay. We did a private party where we sang about trophy wives and the hostess unplugged us. Now we're banned. We're struggling with the shame.

Betsy: People realize that we are poking fun. They are issues that they're laughing at as well.

Q: Ever thought about trying a different medium or city?

Rick: We're pretty happy here. We're not doing this as a steppingstone to a larger market. We've worked all those places [New York, Chicago], and this is fun here. In the words of Paul Simon, we've grown accustomed to a smooth ride.

Q: If you were to write about each other what character traits would you pick on?

Rick: Of course Betsy has no character flaws. So it would be the sounds of silence.

Betsy: I'd do it on a pun man. He likes puns.

-Rebecca Loveridge