By Oona O'Leary
As the voiceover at the top of the show informs us, the world has been inherited by Millennials… And they’re doing the best they can. Performed by Anasazi Bhakti, Hanna Ingle, Mary McMahon, Richard L. Rogers, Aaron Sanchez, and Hillary Timlin and written by Mary McMahon, Aaron Sanchez, and Hillary Timlin, Underachievers is a fun medley of either overly exuberant personalities or brilliant silent, physical sketches - a specialty of director Jay Sukow and what helps to set this revue about Millennial life apart from others.
One piece plays up the mannerisms we inherit, like it or not, from our parents. As a mother and daughter catch up over the phone, they perfectly mirror hand gestures, hair flips, and wine pours. Another quick scene involves pouring a bottle of Grand Daddy’s Whiskey into three cups and drinking from all simultaneously through a modified straw. I don’t know why, but the underachiever in question really sold it and I really bought it.
Other issues brought to the stage in Underachievers are Man Bun philosophies, yoga positions for the life we really live, the craft beer phenomenon and, one of my favorites, brunch as a baptist revival affair.
There’s one more chance to check out Underachievers: tonight, June 10, at 7pm at Donny’s Skybox!
Love is truly a wonderful thing. Being in love forges a connection between two people that’s undeniable, indescribable, and, truly, brings out the best in each other. The love between Complimentary Breakfast’s two writers and stars, Bianca Shaw and Preston Parker, is tangible because they are a real life couple.
Honeymoon Phase, directed by Brian Posen, is an engaging and honest look into the realities and accomplishments of being young and in love in this modern age. Honeymoon Phase blends sharp analysis, keen observation, and candid reflection into an exploration of the many phases of being in a relationship. Complimentary Breakfast opens the show to boldly proclaim they have found the “Algorithm for Love” and has all of the single audience members fill out their test and see if their soulmate is in the room.
Throughout the show, Bianca and Preston take a break from their exceptional character work to tell the audience real life anecdotes from their relationship. The musically inclined duo tackle the awkwardness of new relationships with a unique take on hook-up apps, online dating, and an uproarious song about “Oral Equality”. The prolific pair reflect on how boring and weird it can get being so close and comfortable with someone else with a hip hop infused take on a romantic night in, a loving song to their future daughter, and the most delightfully nonchalant sex scene.
Complimentary Breakfast shines with a variety of characters ranging from a lovable puppet named Verne to being two of New York’s finest. Their dexterity with music is obvious as they maneuver between angelic harmonies and high energy raps. As the show comes to a close, they gather up all of the results, and find matches for 4 people. Honeymoon Phase is an entertaining journey of love, and is recommended for people of all relationship statuses, and you may even find your soulmate.
Honeymoon Phase is running Thursdays (2/11 – 2/25) at Stage 773’s Box Theatre at 10 PM.
$10 Tickets available at the door or online at the Stage 773 Box Office.
To learn more about Complimentary Breakfast, check out their Facebook page.
Check out more reviews at http://www.thesketchreview.com and find us on Facebook athttp://facebook.com/TheSketchReview
Last year after observing the restrictive roles available to women in the comedy scene (ranging in depth and complexity from "bitchy girlfriend" to "nondescript receptionist") as well as the never-ending cycle of improv classes, conservatory programs, and writing courses she and her friends were going through with little to show for it, Kenzie West decided is was time to take matters into her own hands and create something of her own.
That something became Bevvy, a comedy troupe of 11 women who write, produce, and star in their own material as well as partnering with local nonprofits like Deborah's Place.
The show was solid, gathering their best material from their previous shows, and performing material running the gamut from socially-charged (a young woman frightens a catcaller into rethinking both his behavior and the motivations behind it) to goofy (HGTV's House Hunters Siberia).
There were no weak links among the actresses - though special attention deserves to be shone toward the exceptional performances of Brooke Grassby, Molly Kessler, Emily Shackelford, and West herself. Though still very new on the scene (their performance at Sketchfest was their first appearance there, and only their fifth show overall) they're already meeting with much success and and a four-week run at the Second City’s Donny Skybox on Saturday nights begins on February 6th.
To learn more about Bevvy, check out their Facebook page, or to find tickets to their upcoming run, check out the Second City Box Office.
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For their seventh appearance at SketchFest duo Rabbit Rabbit titled their show: "Rabbit Rabbit Gives Up". The sketches were framed by scenes of Andrew Bentley and Chris Blake drunk and disheveled, desperate to throw in the towel on their comedy careers despite the pleas of an anxious SketchFest rep played by Muscular Clown's Kyle Talley. Despite the clever ruse, Rabbit Rabbit obviously has no intention of giving up, and it shows in their comedy which remains as fresh, inventive, and whip-smart as ever.
By outward appearances Bentley and Blake, who've been performing together since their days at Christopher Newport University nine years ago, might represent your standard Bert-and-Ernie comedy duo. Bentley, the straight man: tall and clean-cut, erudite and tempered; Blake, the playful one: shorter and scruffier, boyish and exuberant. But the duo is constantly turning what you might expect on its head. Bentley is unafraid to add dark, wild-eyed menace to his sophisticated characters, as in a 1950s film reel-style narrator who drunkenly loses his composure or as a chummy, and increasingly sadistic, boss, while Blake adds warmth and vulnerability to all his character - be they a stereotypically evil boss from a rom-com or a douche-y recruiter at a tech start-up.
To say much more would be to spoil some fantastic sketches, so remain ever vigilant on their Facebook page for their next appearance around Chicago.
Check out more reviews at http://www.thesketchreview.com and find us on Facebook at http://facebook.com/TheSketchReview
The TKO Players have done it again...and by “it,” of course, I mean put up another great, cohesive, entertaining, musical sketch comedy revue. I loved their first show, “Love in the Time of Cholesterol,” and in spite of hesitations about the proverbial “sophomore slump” of a group’s second show/album, “Cholesterock” did not disappoint. With scenes about fighting for a table at brunch, the questions community college students have about life, and that cool mom we all (maybe wish we didn’t) know and love, “Cholesterock” takes the everyday things we take for granted and turns them into songs.
The opening number of “Cholesterock,” like the opening of “Love,” was, in a word, informative. I know, the word “informative” doesn’t make it sound terribly exciting, but that is exactly what an opening should be. It informs the audience of what’s to come and how to take in the rest of the show. It informs the audience about the performers and their varying personalities and skills, and how they individually complete this whole. And, it informs the audience of the show’s theme and message. “Cholesterock’s” opening accomplished all of these things, and more...like also informing the audience about the evolution of food and rock and roll (ahem, the theme of the show!).
What I find most impressive about this group is that no one gets lost in the shuffle—literally or figuratively. Literally speaking, with 8 actors and 2 musicians working in such a small space with really only one entrance onto the stage, it’s incredible to see these performers navigate the space with ease—both in scenes and during transitions. It’s amazing no one crashes into each other when going on or off stage. This is no doubt due in large part to rockstar (pun originally not intended) director Jonald Jude Reyes. It reminded me of how expertly choreographed their last show was. Figuratively speaking, every performer in this group has an opportunity to shine, and they all do. It’s a testament to the strength of this ensemble when you can walk away talking about the show as a whole rather than a few performers or scenes. In fact, my favorite scenes all had different combinations of performers in them.
As with the last show, this is a musical sketch revue, so be prepared to hear lots of sweet tunes. Songwriters Tim O’Neil, Preston Parker, Garrett Allain, and Chrissy Bruzek, skillfully wrote all the lyrics to convey an easily identifiable message in each song that clearly linked to the show’s overall theme. And, the lyrics were enhanced beautifully by the musical composition and direction of Brad Kemp, Preston Parker, and Sandy Van Laningham. I also loved the addition of drummer Jake Spizzirri to the musical accompaniment. What I loved about the last show is that there were more sounds and music than just those produced by a piano. The drums in this show took that to a whole new—and very polished and professional—level.
I thought the most successful songs were those that were preceded by some dialogue to set up the scene. I found that once I knew who everyone was and what was happening, it was easier to sit back and enjoy the music. I also think the show could benefit from some quick blackouts or shorter scenes/songs to vary the energy of the piece as a whole. But, the strong writing, cast, and musicians of “Cholesterock” make for a fun night out.
“Cholesterock: Dark Side of the Spoon” runs every Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Stage 773 until October 2, 2015. For tickets, go to Stage 773 online.
What happens when you seem to have endless Saturdays? What happens when a girl comes between two best friends? What happens when it takes an apocalypse to define your existence? What happens when the opening chords to Billy Joel’s ‘The Entertainer’ are the only transition music you ever hear? Some of these question are answered in ‘Bunker Buddies’, and some of these questions can only be answered by you, the viewer.
‘Bunker Buddies’ was written by Stephen Kropa, directed by Matt Young, and stars Stephen Kropa, Patrick Poulin, and Abby Vatterott. Zach (“with an h”), played by Kropa, and Kevin, played by Poulin, are two dudes stuck in a secure bunker while the Arion Virus has turns horses into zombie monsters and the United States into a Kentucky Derby Walking Dead. Lifted from the pressure of daily survival their days take on the strict structure of goofy activities: chess and jump-rope, movie retelling, Slinky playtime. A mind-meld exists between the two guys, the same way your brain used to sync up with your best friend over summer. The montage of activity goes on for a while, showing off the fun, natural interaction between Kropa and Poulin, and to set up the contrast after Samantha arrives. Through Sam the audiences learns more about the virus situation that landed everyone in this bunker and also through Sam, Kevin and Zach’s friendship gain dramatic tension. Sam also gives Kevin the courage to leave the bunker to look for other survivors. Zach learns to accept the change in his friendship with Kevin and sacrifices to make sure Kevin and Sam can get out safely.
‘Bunker Buddies’ is a lot of things: a coming of age story; a horror story; a buddy story; an irreverent comedy. Trying to be all those things at once leads to sacrificing necessary ingredients in each. As much as I laughed at the quick jokes and nonchalant humor between all three actors, I didn’t believe the apocalypse around them was a big deal. And without those stakes, I wasn’t as emotionally invested when the bunker’s security was breached. I loved watching Kropa and Poulin work off each other in a way that was fun and familiar, Vatterott brought the emotional resonance of someone living through a zombie apocalypse, and Billy Joel was a delightful plot point in the second half of the show.
A warning to you future audience members. I know Billy Joel is a polarizing topic in America. Maybe not as much as abortion but he’s up there. And before I go any further, know that I listened to ‘Only the Good Die Young’ in high school as much as any other 14 year old white girl in mid-Michigan. As mentioned, Billy Joel winds up as an amazing plot point, but only after hearing nothing but Billy Joel music for transitions. If you like Billy Joel, know that this show will test your resolve. If you do not like Billy Joel, know that this show will make you as rabid as a zombie mutant horse. Maybe that’s the point.
Bunker Buddies
Saturdays, 10:00pm
August 22 & 29
The Public House Theatre
Tickets $10 at the door or purchase online
The title is ‘Prime Cuts’ and the description of the show involves a look at communication between adults in 2015 (or the lack of) and it’s a little of both: FUPA Masterpiece Classics make a comeback from ‘Ladies Night’ and the show’s midpoint features an emotionally resonant, hilarious monologue between Rehner and Nixon on their respective dating lives. But rather than dwell on the thematic arc of the show, or what the title is supposed to mean, let’s instead look at what Rehner & Nixon do best, and do often throughout their tight performance: bravado and audience interaction. Even better: both at the same time. The two take a walk through Tinder, portraying the crazies located within while chatting up any audience member they can find. They act as aggressive midwives giving the lesson “My Baby Momma’s Water Breaks, What Now?” (Amazingly someone who had witnessed a birth was brought on stage for that one.)
Having seen ‘Ladies Night,’ in their current show, directed by Jill Valentine, Rehner & Nixon marry more of their bigger-than-life characters with life’s truisms, culminating in their monologue and mixed through the show with the help of a ukelele. There’s a delightful song explaining that someone probably thinks of you when they masterbate and, my personal favorite, an 80s rock ballad about being so ready to go home with someone until they say a completely unnecessary dealbreaker sentence like “I still live with my ex.”
Their high energy and their willingness to go more personal make Prime Cuts a huge hit that had me laughing throughout the night. Go see it if you like your sketch with a little bit of Soldier Field concert flair, if you love watching the friend you dragged out get grilled by a Tinder horror story, or you can’t get enough of Katie Nixon speaking German.
Prime Cuts
Friday 10:30pm
August 21 & 28
Stage 773
Tickets are $15 at the door or go online
Opening this weekend at Stage 773, Vienna Juvenile presents their third original sketch comedy revue, Orbit. Orbit marks the return of Vienna Juvenile’s inaugural director, Sophie Blumberg, and features Layne Dixon, Hank Greene, and Anthony Smith.
Vienna Juvenile’s wok has previously been profiled on The Sketch Review here.
Orbit plays Saturday nights at 8pm July 11th through July 25th on Stage 773′s Cabaret stage.
Tickets are $13 online or at the door, or by calling (773) 327-5252
Growing up is hard to do, and these days, it doesn’t seem like an actual requirement; so why bother?
Dirtbag, the latest from The Public House, is a winding, layered look at youth, aging, and (im)maturity. With the simple (and fourth-wall-breakingly introduced) conceit that being a kid means wearing a t-shirt and being a grownup means wearing a jacket or vest over that t-shirt, Dirtbag nicely captures and comments on the coming of age of a particular generation. A generation that doesn’t particularly want to come of age, a generation saturated with nostalgia, a generation frequently lambasted as selfish and entitled. Dirtbag provides a much-needed response to those tiresome labels for the Millennial generation, namely: Fuck you, we’re doing decently well with the lives you’ve given us.
Another full-length revue written entirely by the talented and prolific Ryan Burkett (see our previous coverage of his show I Don’t Think We’re Going To Make It), the show stands out from much of the other sketch fare available right now. It tackles its subject with meaning and with a motive, digging into the struggles of growing up, both timeless and contemporary. One complaint I had while watching the first half of the show (where we see more “young” characters than “old”) was that some of the young characters bordered on caricature (a fairly common problem in Chicago sketch and improv) - but then that overblown petulance and blissful ignorance scored to highlight the pettiness and hubris of the older characters later on. So while there may be a shallow joke or sketch here and there in the show, Burkett’s inter-weaving of the characters and themes mostly pays off down the line.
TL;DR It’s a good show. Maybe even a great one. My companion to the show called it “The best show I’ve seen here [the Public House]”. While the first quarter of the show has some air and a few soft spots that could be trimmed, the rest is a smart, different, witty show that especially shines when it’s at its most poignant. Go see Dirtbag. I don’t mean any offense when I say, you’ll probably see yourself in it.
WRITER: Ryan Burkett
DIRECTOR: Ryan Burkett
CAST: Robin Dafforn, Maggie Dempsey, Rich Johannsen, Alex Todd, Cody Ziler, Laurel Zoff
Dirtbag can be seen on Wednesdays at 8pm in July, at the Public House Theatre. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased here.
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By Oona O’Leary
Avery Stockard, played by writer Kit Rivers, is a comedian who, after a four year relationship comes to an end, goes into full #youdoyou mode and dates around. Boosted by her best friend Sissy - played by the phenomenal Sissy Ann Quaranta who reminded me of a lost character from Reality Bites or maybe the daughter of Tank Girl and Liz Phair - Avery also uses her new freedom to record a comedy album and Sleeping Around gets underway: scenes on Avery’s dating life and meet ups with Sissy are intercut with standup sets that either segue nicely into the next scene or are simply hysterical in their own right, like issues of dating improvisors, the problems of threesomes when you have the kind of self-esteem that leads to a career in comedy, dickpicks. Heavy on sex topics? Sure. It’s called Sleeping Around. It’s also clearly a taste of Kit’s A-Game material. That stand up along with strong acting skills by a colorful cast keeps the show from sinking too deep into roman à clef territory. The fact is I found it all so poignantly relatable. If you’re a woman of a certain age, chances are you’ve experienced that dating Rumspringa (or are in one now!) where, with eyes wide open, you stare across two PBRs at a red flag asking if you’ve ever punched a man and think “this will make a great story.” Until, as Avery does, you hit your nadir and realize that story or not you can do much better.
At first glance the show seems to be a mash up of a sketch show and a stand up routine which, if you’ve watched Key & Peele or Inside Amy Schumer, works just as well on stage as on screen. Fleshed out, it’s more of a mash up between those mentioned shows and any beloved 90s sitcom. Why? Because the rapport between Sissy and Avery is every bit as quick and endearing as TV’s best female BFFs. I would watch a show about Avery and Sissy hanging out or a show just on Avery’s sexual mistakes but I’m not sure I had enough emotional investment in both at the same time. Your milage may vary. That said, I really enjoyed it, and not because Sissy reminded me of every CD I had at 14 but because it hit that magic of comedy: funny in its familiarity. Avery Stockard may be Kit Rivers’ alias but I’ve definitely been Avery Stockard as well.
Go see Sleeping Around if you love good stand up comedians, textsfromlastnight.com, The Golden Girls, and/or Inside Amy Schumer.
Sleeping Around
Fridays, 10pm
The Public House Theatre
June 12, 19, 26
$10
The title is NEEDY, and given the number of sketches dealing with relationships, heartache, singlehood, exes, love ballads, and masterbation, I’m assuming it’s the emotional neediness but no matter what Unlikely Company (comprised of Di Billick, Liam Gallogly, Trey Kalny, Ryan Kappmeyer, Sheena Laird, Brian Morrow, Katie Nixon, Mollie Rehner, Michael Silver, and directed by Brian Posen) meant by the title, the show is equal parts love and goofball.
Unlikely Company adds real life experience to sketches, bringing an emotional core I love to their jokes. In one scene a straight roommate comes back from the Pride Parade decked out as a mincing glitterbomb of a stereotype, exclaiming “I’m gay now!” only to have his actually gay roommate gently explain that unless he’s having sex with men: “you just like parades.” Another scene was a lovely piano piece by Sheena Laird about what it costs to still wind up single. Still another was a dueling profile of one’s ex-girlfriend and ex-boyfriend’s new love interest as seen by you, the old lover, and then by themselves: they’re not actually evil/dumb/ugly, they’re just boning your ex. Mixed with these funny and honest scenes were the wacky: crazy openers, a human calculator, an ode to Esperanto, and a wickedly funny country song about having an accident.
Musical numbers play a large role in ‘NEEDY,’ as it should: it’s definitely Unlikely Company’s wheelhouse and the whole lot of them are wildly talented. In one scene Mollie Rehner not only freestyle raps, but does so in the most unintelligible back-of-the-throat accent imaginable.
Towards the end, the show takes on a ‘throw everything at the wall and see what sticks’ quality but not without its own entertaining value, like a scene that demonstrates how few of us know the second verse to our favorite songs, and having been charmed by the cast for the whole night, you won’t need much more (I’ll show myself out).
You have one more chance to check out NEEDY for yourself: Saturday May 23, 10:30pm at Stage 773. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door or online.
On Hiatus is that rare sketch ensemble: together for two years with a strong, smart point of view.
The show is called ‘Retro Lens’ but within the very first scene it’s strongly suggested that, rather than an overarching theme, it’s a title you’ll never hear referred to again. But an argument could be made that the title points to the many characters who exist within ideologies inconsistent with reality.
This was my first time seeing On Hiatus but I loved their voice. A satirical bent, their scenes have the confidence to trust the audience without beating home the message and moving it from sly to preachy. In one scene a young couple expecting their first born sing it a lullaby about all the ways they’re going to care for this soon-to-be-baby: organic food, locally sourced cotton, and you the audience figure they’re just making fun of bougie parenting, until they add that they won’t vaccinate the kid. Then they list list every disease they won’t vaccinate against. Gentle reader, it is a long list. A very long list in a calming James Taylor voice. In another I witnessed some of the greatest slam poetry this side of Sunday nights at the Green Mill: Emily Forest, Megan Hansen, and Adrienne Teeley performed a synchronized piece about trying to be a woman in 2015 and finished it with an erotic ode to their favorite dessert. It had the audience howling and myself in tears. Many of the sketches had that level of sharp observation and honest emotion, from two roommates dealing with a Harry Potter obsession to a kid telling his neighbor about experiencing the Surrealist art at the Art Institute. Not every scene hit but those that did really, really hit in a refreshing way. It’s one thing to want to punch up in your humor, it’s another to know how to do it well.
Comprised of Andy Antao, Nick Curatolo, Emily Forest, Megan Hansen, Travis Marsala, Adrienne Teeley, and Nathan Wainwright, and directed by John Hildreth, there are two more chances to check out On Hiatus: May 22 and May 29, Fridays, at 10:30pm at Stage 773.
Stars and Gripes is something different. And that’s a good and important thing.
Many of the Public House Theatre’s recent offerings have been somewhat homogenous - parody shows and pop culture commentaries have come so fast and furious as to overwhelm the average sketch lover with how much it sucks to not have HBO or Showtime. But PHT’s latest is a departure from this recent trend, and when I read the press release, I had to check it out. I was not disappointed - Stars and Gripes, from the Veterans of Comedy ensemble, is something else, and is not to be found anywhere else.
Written, directed, and performed by comedians who also happen to have served (or are still serving) in the armed forces, the show commits what is often touted as the cardinal sin of comedy - it dares to take itself seriously. One of the words you hear thrown around the most in regards to comedy is “irreverent”. In improv classes all over the city, budding talents are told not to take themselves too seriously. And at times, that’s good advice - but it’s not gospel. And if you never take yourself seriously, how can you expect others to?
That’s what struck me about the Veterans of Comedy’s approach to their show - they’re skewering their topic, certainly, but they’re poking fun at something intensely important to them. The subject matter isn’t impersonal or ephemeral - it’s a part of their identity that runs deep. The result is sincere, instead of flippant, coming across occasionally as more real than funny.
Technically, the show is a little rough around the edges. The music wants tightening up, a few of the outs are weak notes to close on, and in some instances of timing, the group is ironically lacking in the precision we associate with the military. But the revue, comprised of blackouts and longer character pieces, punctuated by out-of-character story monologues and bracketed by songs about serving, nonetheless had the nearly-full opening night crowd enthralled from beginning to end. It’s also refreshing that even in a small six-person cast, the diversity of the armed forces was reflected in the ensemble. That didn’t have any bearing on the show, it’s just a nice change from the usual.
And one last thing that stuck out to me - the sound design, in general, was spot-on, but I sat up and took notice when one of the transitional songs was Rise Against’s “Hero of War” - the tune is essentially a protest song, and it cemented for me the suspicion that these performers were self-aware enough to be critical of a cause they each devoted years of their life to. It’s a tiny detail, but it immensely informed my perception of the project.
So go see Stars and Gripes, if you can get a ticket. It’s smart, full of heart, and deeply funny. And you won’t find another show like it.
“Stars and Gripes” plays Fridays and Saturdays through the end of May at 8:00 pm at The Public House Theater . Tickets are $15 (free for veterans) and can be purchased here.
What’s big and black and hairy all over? One of the character’s in Michael Gomez’s debut solo show at the Playground Theater, “Hi, Mijo, It’s Your Mom,” that’s what! Stepping onstage and presenting himself in a chihuahua faced T-shirt and jerry curl wig, Gomez takes on the persona of a freelance palm reader giving “real ass readings.” “It says wash your dirty ass palm,” Gomez comments about a willing audience members given hand. Inviting any amount of outside participation can be dangerous territory due to the of unpredictability of strangers, but Gomez had a lightning fast response for any situation. His willingness to let people into many aspects of his performance further showed his fearlessness as an actor, and it was exciting as an audience member to feel like I was part of the show.
There are a few key callbacks in the show in which Gomez plays his own mother leaving him voice messages on his mobile device. Her worry grows deeper, as her calls grow more incessant and his response tally remains at zero. At one helpless point going so far as to say, “You are probably dead. I am going to kill myself.” Not only the panache but the true ease he has in playing his mother signals that these one sided voice message conversations probably happen A LOT and are so, so real. A show that is already full of well written and performed shenanigans was made that much better by the addition of the mother character whom acted as the emotional anchor.
There were two other standout characters for me in the show, the first, a man who is dining with Girl and the Goat for the first time. I have also never eaten at Girl and the Goat, but it’s head chef, Stephanie Izzard, won Bravo’s Top Chef competition one season or another (it must have been a while ago because I had access to cable which means I was still living with my parents), so it must be really good if the chef is Bravo endorsed, right? Gomez portrays a simpleton who after tasting the food absolutely loses his mind and demands to “see the chef.” So excited about his food, a normal request turns into a rage storm of insistence, at one point throwing a chair across the room (that’s SO Bravo television!!!!) as an expression of gratitude. The bit of heightening an everyday occurrence was very Dane Cook-esque, but very Dane Cook circa his Su-fi tour when he was loved by every human on the planet. DON’T LIE TO YOURSELF. We all loved the “Tourgasm” documentary on HBO.
The other character I happened to love and identify with mostly was the apathetic female rally leader. I honestly could not tell you what this character was even fighting for, though, I am almost positive it was for teacher’s rights, because I was far too busy focusing on the brilliant juxtaposition of his limp gate and his fighting message. At one point he pursues the audience, asking them to chant, “we can’t,” followed by an unsuspected but perfect, “even.” This moment reminded me how the best kind of comedy is unsuspecting but at the same time so flawless it seems as though it had been written in the stars. This joke woke up like this, and it will never have to apologize for it. Here is what I am really trying to say: Gomez is Beyonce and in his first solo show he succeeds in bringing a gaggle of Kelly’s, Michelle’s, and even a few Latavia’s, Letoya’s, and Farrah’s to life. Gotta catch ‘em all, and gotta get tickets fast because naturally, with this caliber of talent, they are selling fast!
You have two more chances to see “Hi, Mijo, It’s Your Mom” in conjunction with Seth Origitano’s “Sophomoric Oneness” at The Playground Theatre 4/9 & 4/16 @ 7:30 pm!
This is a long overdue review but in my defense I thought I had another few months to get my act together and transcribe a corresponding interview* between Eric Schinzer and Tommy Reahard, the brains behind the dummies of Battlemasters. Battlemasters Unlimited, as implied by the name, has been running for over two months now at The Public House, on an open-ended bill and if that weren’t enough the two Battlemasters have been coming up with new material every week. Let that sink in, because that means new material of funny, let-it-all-hang-out humor every single week.
But now they’re shutting down. This Thursday is their last show until, well, until Reahard gets back from a boat tour. Maybe. Who knows! These guys are ridiculously talented and so goddamn joyful to watch and REALLY I THOUGHT I HAD MORE TIME TO WRITE THIS. I won’t expound upon the show I got to see, except to note that Schinzer wasn’t actually there that week and even down to just Reahard the show was side-splittingly funny and included a trip in a U-Haul and one of the best worst fanfiction for iCarly. I’ve checked out Battlemasters a couple times and without fail I leave their shows with a spike in dopamine production. They’re full body experience theater and if you haven’t shared in the joy of watching them, this Thursday is your last chance for a while (I HONESTLY THOUGHT I’D HAVE AT LEAST UNTIL JULY TO DO THIS) and you really, really ought to.
If my petition to you, dear reader, isn’t enough let me also add that Battlemasters will be joined by another perennial Sketch Review favorite: The Beverly D’Angelo Community Players. Go. It’s five dollars. Have a blast this Thursday night. Then kick yourself for not going sooner because COME. ON. I THOUGHT THERE WOULD BE MORE TIME.
BATTLEMASTERS UNLIMITED: GOODBYE FOREVER
8pm, April 2nd
The Public House Theatre
$5
This is Mass Street Productions 5th show, and our second reviewing them, which is always a delight, considering that you get to see a distinct voice for the group. MSP definitely has a certain style: calling back alternate endings of sketches and seeing where these do-overs end up; strong emotional connections in scenes; and proudly satiric sketches.
White (Wine) Flight asserts at the beginning that it is a night showcasing #theworst in humanity and while this is loudly and best expressed by a stand up routine I’ll get to in a second, Annie Goodson and Willie Opper write such delightfully nuanced and emotionally rounded people, the best scenes all point towards the inner conflict in all of us, like a family vacation already on edge when the mother experiences an existential crisis, a security mall cop standing up for himself in the form of a rap, a fight between two friends while on their graveyard Jazz Hour DJ shift, and a matchmaking service that breaks down what we’re really looking for.
Actors Rachel Copel, Kathleen Ferrini, Justin Hamby, Jennifer Kaesheimer, Sara Stock, and Jimmy Wilson are all at their best when the scene takes its time and the actors can settle in, and nowhere is this more apparent in a runner of a guy played by Jimmy Wilson letting his ego ramble on and on during a Megabus trip from Akron, OH to the big city. A few scenes later, there’s the guy again, explaining away his decision to return home from the big city to Akron, OH. The two scenes are good, and if you’ve ever been stuck next to a guy who believes you’ve already asked ‘no, tell me about you’ it’s a great lolsob, but a few scenes later there’s our guy! Back at his old coffee house jam night. Wilson improvises a song for a bit before going off the rails about how expensive Chicago is, as his character of course, but it turned into this great cathartic release where we the audience also got to complain through him.
Those emotionally nuanced characters arrive from smart writing and a decision between Goodson and Opper to not fall back on cheap caricatures, which I for one appreciate, it’s also the same sentiment that leads to a lot of the satire that also makes up the MSP style. That stand up comic routine I mentioned? It’s a back and forth between opening lines from a male comic and a female comic at an open mic which starts off harmless enough and gets increasingly aggressive, from ‘women, am I right?’ to ‘hey - rape joke!’ It’s a great scene. It’s a little uncomfortable, and it’s supposed to be, because it nails the experience of being at an after hours open mic. However, the punch from this piece ends up diminished by other hard-hitting, political statements through the show. Like having fifteen tabs open to articles on various atrocities around the world right now, emotional fatigue can set in.
I caught White (Wine) Flight on its last night only to learn that the show got a second run at Donny’s Skybox, hence the preview aspect of this review. There are slight changes: Justin Hamby, Jennifer Kaesheimer, and Jimmy Wilson are joined by Sissy Anne Quaranta and Heidi Butler; and some changes to the running order would be made. So with that, if you’re a reader of The Toast, if you miss Sarah Haskins’ Target Women, if you’ve ever been on a Megabus, definitely check out the new run of White (Wine) Flight at Donny’s Skybox, opening Saturday, March 28 at 7:30pm and running until May 9.
White (Wine) Flight
Donny’s Skybox
7:30pm Saturdays
March 28 - May 9th (No show April 25)
Tickets: $13 general / $10 student / $8 TCS
The description for Rehner & Nixon Present: Ladies Night! states that Rehner & Nixon bring you songs, scenes, and monologues with an absurd point of view on their everyday lives. This is true and yet I was expecting some sort of strong over-arching theme or maybe I’ve unfortunately conditioned myself to hear ‘assertions of womanhood in every sketch’ when I hear Comedy + Ladies, and was expecting something like that with the above’s title.
But putting together my notes, while I was trying to reach for that thing, that unknown theme I had expected, I kept coming back to a night of great sketches, end of story. Because while some overt themes can strangle a show faster than episode two of The Slap, there’s nothing better than, and nothing wrong with, a night exhibiting the individual talents of two funny performers. They could have called it Rehner & Nixon Present: Goofball Night! Or Rehner & Nixon Present: Rehner & Nixon! or Rehner & Nixon: Fun! and been equally on-point, especially when this is neither woman’s first rodeo; both have impressive bios that include being an ensemble member of Infinite Sundaes, commercial work and IMDb credits, playing multiple instruments, and festival credits too numerous to include. It’s Friday at midnight and you already know you’re in good hands.
One of my favorites of the night was a rewind scene that summed up what Rehner & Nixon do best: goofy but not dumb, high energy scene work: two German women pumping iron are gossiping as they go through sets, then rewind, and go through the scene exactly as before but in German - and here Katie really shined with her character and language skills - then rewind, and go through the scene exactly as before but in… well… chicken I suppose. Another favorite was a scene about nothing more than drunk girl antics trying to help out a fellow sister at the bar - and here Mollie really shined with her character and physical work - by pointing out which guys to avoid and why, as she had already found out the hard way. Director Julia DiFerdinando keeps these two moving all over: as a sad ukulele solo, a pregnant aerobics instructor, a Boy Bands of the 90s dance-off, and lets them play around with what the do best: precise, funny characters.
If your personal savior might be from the Muppets, if you had planned to spend Friday evening learning dance moves off of Youtube, go check out Rehner & Nixon Present: Ladies Night. It’s a great way to end your night or a great way to get your night started, your call!
Rehner & Nixon Present: Ladies Night, A Sketch Show with Gumption
Fridays until April 3rd, at 11:59pm
Donny’s Skybox Studio Theater
$12 general / $10 student / $6 SCTC student
Tickets may be purchased at the link above
