A Stint on Stage

Andrea Martin is looking for the next great character.

Perhaps it will be her swaggering, hair-tossing Cher, doing martial negotiations--in black teddy, garters and bomber jacket--with the new studio boss at Columbia. Or maybe Perini Schlerosie, fracturer of the English language. Or the 52-year-old divorcee declaring her love for a 17-year-old surfer dude.

They’re all part of the comedy revue “Sony and $hare$,” newly opened at the Second City Theatre in Santa Monica.

“Doing this show for 300 people every night gives me a great forum,” says Martin, whose seven years on “SCTV” resulted in two writing Emmys--and the memorable character Edith Prickley. “If I didn’t have that (outlet), I’d be sitting in my office, doing the material into a tape recorder and second-guessing myself to death. This allows me to go on my instincts, get out there and make it work spontaneously.”

Although the show’s run is open-ended, Martin only signed on until January. Film (“Rude Awakening” and “Worth Winning,” plus the upcoming “Boris and Natasha”) and TV (the Showtime special “Andrea Martin . . . Together Again”) are lures, she says. “Sometimes it’s hard to choose what I should be doing. But I came in because I love performing. I love theater.”

Martin, car-pooling mom to Jack, 8, and Joseph, 6, is also fond of Second City’s group dynamic. “I’m not Barbra Streisand, making a guest-appearance,” says the Maine native. “The cast has been very gracious, letting me get my feet wet. But sure, (competition) is part of the game plan wherever you go. Some actors are healthy, some are not. I’ve worked with people with very large egos. But this is an ensemble company, and I’m part of the ensemble.”