He's a distraction from bad news, a superhero for troubled times.

        He's No-Personal-Space Man, bravely defeating his enemies by standing too close to them.

        He also saves his friends with laughter.

        NPS Man is an invention of Wit's End, an improvisational comedy troupe in Greater Cincinnati. Every Wednesday this month — including the day after the terrorist attack on the United States — the members have insisted on performing their regular show at York Street Cafe in Newport.

        It's their contribution, they say. Their way of helping people deal.

        Now, more than ever, we need innocent hi-jinks, pratfalls and goofballs. We need No-Personal— Space Man.

        The show must go on.

Solace in silliness

        At first it looked doubtful. On Sept. 12, York Street Cafe owner Terry Cunningham wasn't expecting much of an audience for the troupe's usual performance at 9:30 p.m. But before he could start contacting the comedians to cancel, people started trickling in. Lots of people.

        “It was a packed house,” said troupe member Tim Golliher. “It was the most electric show we've had between players. The audience was very into it.”

        The five men and two women of Wit's End perform comedy sketches based on improvisational games and audience suggestions.

        For instance, in the superhero party game, the audience endows the first character on stage with a special quality, such as the habit of invading other people's space. As additional characters arrive, each gets his or her own power, then acts it out in the context of a party.

        So while No-Personal-Space Man crowds the other superheroes, Snot Man might be contaminating the imaginary dip while Walking-Disaster Girl trips all over the place.

        It's funny. Trust me.

        “It's something we really kind of cling to,” said player Joey Greene of the weekly gig, which starts at 9:30 tonight. “It's the one thing we've kind of made. It's our creation.”

Laugh in their faces

        And it can't be stopped by evil creeps. Unlike David Letterman or Jay Leno, who had to scrap their usual jokes after the Sept. 11 tragedy, Wit's End gets its vibe from the audience. For the last few weeks, people have hooted and howled and called out suggestions — without a single reference to current events.

        “We don't go there, and I don't think people want us to go there,” troupe member Kim Sherwood said. “But they know we'll go anywhere else.”

        Such as a home shopping network where the host must use pantomime to describe “purple money with a portrait of William Howard Taft.”

        Or a “Murder Mystery Night” in which the killer wields a limp pickle, and characters must guess what it is.

        The audience “can check reality at the door and totally enter the realm of imagination,” Mr. Sherwood said.

        The players never considered taking a break. If people need laughs, they'll deliver. Anything less would be another blow in a month of sorrows.

        “If we completely cancel everything and never reschedule things, we're giving in,” said Judy Halak, a Wit's End fan who attended the Sept. 12 show. “You have to go on.”

        She's right, folks. Let's not give in to those who would steal our laughter. We need it, especially now.

        Karen Samples can be reached at 859-578-5584 or ksamples@enquirer.com.

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