Senior Michelle Burton is a member of Bloomers, Penn’s all-female sketch comedy troupe. She took a break from rehearsing for their upcoming show to talk to us about fat suits, Brick Breaker and Sinbad. Yes, we said Sinbad.
Street: What’s the soundtrack to your life?
Michelle Burton: I’m a total California girl, so I’d have to say a mixed CD of Incubus, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Dr. Dre.
Street: There are 2 types of people at Penn…
MB: Those who are from California and those who aren’t.
Street: What’s the most overrated thing about Penn? Most underrated?
MB: The most overrated is Bucks’s coffee, and the most underrated is the coffee at McDonald’s on 40th and Walnut. Seriously, once you work up the balls to go in there soberly, it’s so worth it (and much cheaper).
Street: Who’s the coolest person you’ve ever met?
MB: Sinbad. He said “Whattup?” to me at a movie theater. I think I get my comedic skills from him.
Street: Who’s your favorite actor and why?
MB: Ryan Gosling — he’s Canadian and gorgeous. I think the Canadian thing just does it for me though.
Street: What’s your guilty pleasure?
MB: Brick Breaker! I definitely have a weird addiction to it and the highest high score of anyone I know.
Street: What’s the last thing you bought?
MB: A grilled chicken sandwich from Wawa… I ate it in Gia though, to be more fashionable.
Street: What’s your favorite alliteration?
MB: “Beat that bitch with a bat”… it’s part of a song we sing before the show to pump us up. That sounds so wrong.
Street: What’s the best part about being a senior?
MB: Definitely being in Friars. Hot, talented guys in monk robes. And the girls are really cool, too.
Street: Who are your favorite characters in history?
MB: Barbie, Charo, Miss Piggy, Leah Popowich and John F. Kennedy.
Street: What’s the best part of performing with Bloomers?
MB: I got to wear two fat suits last year (medium fat and large fat) and body-slammed one of the girls across the stage by accident.
Street: What’s the most bizarre thing an audience member has done at the end of a performance?
MB: My freshman year, one performer from another single-sex sketch comedy group (that shall remain nameless) chucked a Birkenstock sandal on stage as part of a long-standing joke/rivalry. The funniest and weirdest part was when he cried to get it back.
