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Rob Dinsmoor is a freelance writer specializing in health and medical topics. He has also written scripts for Nickelodeon and MTV and humorous articles for National Lampoon, American Bystander, and Nickelodeon Magazine. He has authored three fictive memoirs, Tales of the Troupe, The Yoga Divas and Other Stories, and You Can Leave Anytime, and co-authored a children's picture book, Does Dixie Like Me? with his friend and illustrator, Helen Kamins. He has also been featured on The Moth Story Slam.
Reviewed by Rosie Malezer for Readers' Favorite
Tales of the Troupe is a collection of short stories penned by Rob Dinsmoor, capturing his time on the road with the comedy troupe, Chucklehead, in the 1980s. Whether performing on stage or taking some down time at a bar or a bowling alley, the members of Chucklehead are close-knit – more like a family who takes care of each other - rather than having individual lives of their own. Starting from their first time meeting after a musical performance, Natasha and Rob meet up at Dirk’s apartment. It is there that they meet the cast and start to swap ideas, leading to the creation of Chucklehead. With just thirty audience members at their first show, each act was met with enthusiastic applause. Chucklehead featured jokes, musical numbers, satire and stand-up comedy routines which were considered to be almost taboo, but which always brought the house down. Each laugh from the audience brought a natural high to Rob and the crowd could not get enough of Chucklehead’s unique brand of humor, inclusive of ‘The Nightmare Sketch,’ which Dirk had been trying to prevent audiences from seeing.
On reading ‘The Nightmare Sketch’ for the second, third and fourth time, I started to feel guilty for having tears of laughter rolling down my face. Rob Dinsmoor has easily pulled me into memories of some of his happiest moments, making me feel like I was the one taking the stroll down Memory Lane. Rob Dinsmoor’s eloquent use of language, describing the highs and lows of his comedy troupe, Chucklehead, had me smiling in many places, including the alcohol-fueled argument between Rob and Dirk over performing ‘The Nightmare Sketch’ in front of a live audience, for fear of their reaction. I applaud Rob Dinsmoor’s story-telling skills in Tales of the Troupe, and recommend this book to those who love a memoir filled with fun and laughter, packed tight with behind-the-stage drama, love, and friendship.
