She may not utilize the same four-letter flaunting that brought fame to comedy greats like Chris Rock and George Carlin. But with her brand of “clean comedy” and the help of her alter ego, Miss Spitfire, Kimberly Smith is lighting up smiles all over town.
.jpg)
(Above: Photo by Marcia Ledford, U-M Photo Services)
(Below: Photo courtesy Kimberly Smith)
Smith, an information desk clerk at the School of Dentistry, has been performing as Miss Spitfire since 2001, when she dressed for Halloween at work. Bedecked in a granny wig, thick knee-highs and blacked-out teeth, Miss Spitfire was a hit, and the comedic character was born.
“To tell you the truth, she is identical to my dad’s mom,” Smith says. “I never thought about it; her image must have just come to my mind.”
After her uproarious office debut, Smith decided to fine-tune her character, polish her routine and find the perfect gold tooth. In September of last year, Miss Spitfire officially premiered at a local church comedy and spiritual event.
Her comedic style involves a costume and altered voice—the same idea that popularized a slew of “Saturday Night Live” characters. But Miss Spitfire stands apart from many of today’s comedians in one way—cleanliness.
“You don’t have to sin to be funny,” Smith says. “My comedy is church-based, it’s upbeat. I want to encourage [my audience] and make them laugh. I want them to forget about what’s going on in their lives, if only for a couple of hours.”
Smith subscribes to a brand of clean, religiously inspired comedy that has become a growing sensation in the last five to 10 years. Web sites, nightclubs, e-mail rings and dozens of comedy troupes all have emerged within the last decade, describing themselves as being free of offensiveness and profanity.
“This world is crazy. Kids shoot other kids because they don’t know the right thing to do. When kids hear ‘f- this’ and ‘f-that’ from their role models, it gets into their souls and changes them. We have to take a stand. If we don’t do it, who else is going to?”
And she knows what it takes to get a person back on track. Rebelling after high school, Smith says she left her religion to enter a troubled period that included substance abuse. She credits Mid-Michigan Teen Challenge in Saginaw, a religion-based program, with turning her life around.
“This place renewed my mind and taught those that were willing to stay a better way of life without drugs and alcohol,” she says. “And the most wonderful thing of all is I gained self respect and learned how to love myself and others, and I regained the trust of my family, especially my children.”
Smith acts, writes screenplays and poetry, and does impersonations all in the name of faith and comedy. Although she keeps everyone in her life smiling, she has a few special supporters.
“My silly sister laughs so hard at my jokes. And my daughter laughs even when I’m not joking. My family is my biggest fan,” Smith says.
Her children, Sierra and Deontá, seem to vary in their love of Miss Spitfire.
“My daughter cracks up at Miss Spitfire, but my son doesn’t like her. When I talk like her, he says, ‘I want to talk to my mom.'”
If her audience will keep laughing, Smith will keep joking. After four years of performing and a lifetime of surrounding herself with smiles, Smith has no plans of packing away Miss Spitfire’s stockings any time soon.
“I don’t think I’ll ever quit. Besides, I just started! And it’s getting better and better.”
Miss Spitfire looks forward to her next performance, 2 p.m. Aug. 21 at with the International Women Aglow at the Court House Square on Fourth and William in downtown Ann Arbor.
