BlueStone Press, February 6, 2015 , Page 

Accord auctioneer has second act

Off Broadway play
draws from real life

like firecrackers all over the damn place,"

as the show unfolds.
An auction cannot take place without its
bidders. At this show, the audience members both bid on and win the actual items
selling during the auction.
Without giving away any important details, the show starts with a jolt and maintains that energy throughout its entirety.
Not only did Jaffe write Going Once!
Laughing Twice!! he also stars in it as the
gallerys crooked owner, Freddie Kahn.
In the theatre, a show is locked after
the opening night; neither the lines nor
the shows direction changes. Precisely
because Jaffe wears all those he has the
freedom to make changes as he sees fit.
The show is ever-changing according
to Jaffe and this helps make it a different
experience for the viewers who come back
to see the show again and again.
One of the biggest changes he currently
has planned is for the character Daniel
Pinkerton, the General Manager of the
Chump Auction House. I dont feel that
there are enough strong female characters
around, he said. So he decided to replace
Daniel with a Danielle to play his nemesis. As of Feb 13, actress Laura Maitland
from Australia will be joining the cast as
Danielle.
My show is so interactive Ive even
been donating actual speaking parts to
ticketholders through my group sales department. Now that has been a riot! Jaffe
said with a big grin summing up his vision
of his show.
Call St. Lukes Box office at 212-246-8140
to purchase tickets for only $39.50 (regularly $69.50) with the code GOLTBPS and
Brian will be pleasd to donate 10 percent
to the High Falls Historical Society.

Jillian Nadiak
BSP Reporter
Accord resident, Brian Jaffe has been
conducting auctions and making people
laugh since 1973. His recent hit show
Going Once! Laughing Twice!! parodies
the world of Fine art auctions. Its been
playing at St. Lukes theatre in New York
City since last September.
Jaffe is no stranger to auctions. His
long history in the professional world of
auctioneering is what helped him create
the show. Having started his own auction
company in Kerhonkson in 1973, he has
since conducted his hilarious benefit auctions throughout the United States.
In 2013, Jaffe raised more than $8 million dollars for nonprofit groups. He has
presented a fund raising auction for one
organization for over 25 years in a row and
is headed back this year as well.
In his YouTube video Meet Brian Jaffe,
he compares his auctions to a game like
Simon Sez. Im the leader of the game,
he said, And if you want to play you have
to bid, and bid his audicencs do. He once
sold a $5 bill for $1,500 at a hospital fundraiser by creating a fun atmosphere that
people both enjoyed and became a part of.
He makes people laugh as they part with
their money and holds a personal record
of raising over $1.25 million dollars in 30
minutes for Teddys Fund.
What makes Jaffe so successful as an
auctioneer is his natural sense of humor
and his quick-witted rapid fire responses
to whats going on around him.

Brian Jaffe discussing, "Going Once! Laughing Twice!!" with future cast member
Laura Maitland. Photo by Jillian Nadiak.

I was always a kid who got in trouble

for making wise remarks, Jaffe said with
a smile. Now, I make a living doing the
same thing I used to get thrown out of the
classroom for.
Along with having a natural sense
for jokes, Jaffe has always been a writer
as well. Mark Twain once said, Write
what you know. Going Once! Laughing Twice!! is an entertaining example of
what can happen when you do just that.
By being the writer, the star and keeping
up with the direction of his own show,
Jaffe is part of an interesting new experience. He is never away from the process of
development. He doesnt have to seek out
permission for his changes. Its sometimes difficult wearing so many hats, he
said, and probably pretty hard for the
actors, but the energy on stage would say

Beginning of Lent Events

Start the Lenten Season at Christ the King Church

otherwise.
As the ticket holders enter the theatre
for this post reopening of Chumps Auction House, they receive bidding paddles
and random amounts of the shows
currency, Chump money. Once inside
the theatre the audience becomes the art
patrons and collectors of Chumps fine
art. They enjoy the chumpagne being
served, browse the gallery and meet the
hilarious characters Jaffe has created.
Two stand out characters included
Chumps famous artists, Jean-Paul Georges-Ringeau and their Performance Artist
Heidi Hoe. The audience is immersed in
the show making decisions on what they
want to bid on in the upcoming auction.
The immersion doesnt stop once the
audience takes their seats either. As one
reviewer put it, Madcap subplots explode

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