Former Southern belle Sharon Spell has been entertaining Pittsburghers with her cabaret act since 1997. The quirky mistress of comedy leaves no stone unturned as she ventures into music, TV, film and even back to her former world of painting.

Interviewer: Kelly McGreevy
Photographer: Heather Mull

From the Pittsburgh City Paper
Feb. 9-16, 2000
Page 8

My name is Sharon Spell and I grew up in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. I am an artist with dreams, and I want my dreams to be fulfilled by next Thursday.

Are you driven to perform because your alter-ego, "Mama" is irrepressible?

Mama is more of a nickname than an alter-ego. When I first started the comedy cabaret in 1997, I was a little shy and unsure of myself. Because of my experience performing, who I am onstage is a lot more Sharon Spell, who just happens to have the nickname, "Mama."

Is it a surprise that you became a comedienne?

It was a surprise to a lot of people in my hometown, because I didn't start speaking until the age of 22. I wanted to be a comedienne, but I didn't have the self-confidence to try to be funny in front of people I didn't know. Most of my training in school involved my being alone in a painting studio -- painting, crying, things that artists do alone. Once I moved here I realized I needed to just get out there and do it.

Why is performing with a band a good vehicle for you?

When the Mofones started it was as a back-up band for my comedy cabaret but the more we played, the more it evolved and it became something else. Not just Mama and the Mofones behind her -- we are the Mofones. I play keyboards and I sing, and I play the tambourine, just like in the Archies.

What's your involvement with film?

I learned that at the Pittsburgh community station, PCTV 21, anyone who pays city tax can become a community producer. Mama's PTA Meeting ran on PCTV from July through December of last year. My next project will be to edit the video we shot of The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone at Lester Hamburg Studio Theater.

Tell me about your extremely modern courtship with your husband.

I met my husband in a chat room on the Internet in 1995. We were immediately attracted to each other because we were both good at typing with only one hand -- we were meant for each other. After a few years he flew in from Edinburgh, Scotland. I was 98 percent sure he was the real deal, the person he had presented himself as, but just in case, I borrowed a US Airways flight attendant's uniform from a friend so I'd have an easy out. It was the classic scene where I'd poked eye holes through a newspaper and was peering at him as he got off the plane. He recognized me right away and we had a great time. We got married two years later.

What's the oddest thing you've done during a performance?

Maybe the Christmas performance at Sip Cafe where I arrived in a rickshaw. There was a huge wall of windows and I had an employee pull me in past it with my cordless microphone, singing the Mama theme song.

What's your dream venue?

Most people say Carnegie Hall in New York City. I say Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland.

Why is Pittsburgh a good place for you?

I like snow and gray skies and row houses. I like living below the poverty level. It's easy to work here, make your own audience, force them to come see you. I say, "You can sneeze out three dollars to see a weird cabaret show and I will take your snotty dollars and say, 'Hallelujah, I can pay the rent!'"

What are your plans?

I plan to work less and get paid more. The Planet Girl show on Feb. 22 at Rosebud featuring myself with the Mofones and singer-songwriter Madge should be a lot of fun. I'm going to open my painting studio in my house. And I plan to read more to the Children.