Chicago sweethearts Joselyn Hughes and Brooke Van Poppelen are going to be staging their brand-spankin' new sketch show, "Grow a Pair", this Thursday and Friday at the Lincoln Lodge (4008 N. Lincoln). The show is directed by Second City alum and Chicago ex-pat Deb Downing.
Joselyn and Brooke sum up the show thusly: "People like pretty, quiet ladies. We are loud, drunk, and obnoxious and decided we weren't fooling anybody by pretending we were petite flowers. Macho is a show that lets us express our machismo through ridiculous characters that are all powerful, animated, and opinionated. And definitely not quiet."
Asked about their collaborative efforts, both with this sketch and in their stand-up work, they said: "We spend a lot of time together; being that we are lady stand-ups and perform often. We decided to stop competing and decided to team up and wage war against the world together. We practically have collaborated ourselves into a life partnership. Our next project will probably involve adopting an Asian baby and opening a used book store/coffee shop. It's weird for sure."
Brooke, Joselyn, and Deb Downing will all be headed to the DC Comedy Fest in August to perform stand-up. After that, they are planning to take "Grow a Pair" back to NYC with them after polishing it "back home" this week.
Mornin'/Afternoon! As per usual, our pals in Schadenfreude are continuing to take over the known universe, in celebration of their ten years of bringin' the hilarity. From 6 to 7 p.m. tonight you can catch them as part of Looptopia, where they will be doing some street performance in front of the Fine Arts Building. They will also appear on local radio station WLUW 88.7, Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday morning at 9 p.m. Saturday's broadcast is part of "Live from the Heartland", a live show from Heartland Cafe in Rogers Park. They will be discussing the third show in their six-week run, happening Saturday night at the Red Line Tap, 7006 N.Glenwood, 9 p.m. The show will feature acoustic-punk band Even in Blackouts, a select crew of mega-talented former Neo-Futurists, local stand-up heavyhitter Hannibal Buress (featured in today's Chicago Tribune!), and Second City alum Patrick McKenna performs.
To get amped for the show, check out this clip from the paparazzi, who covered opening night's gala event at the Gallery Cabaret two weeks ago:
Today's post is a special report from Justin Kaufmann, member of the sketch group Schadenfreude, who performed at this month's Interview Show, hosted by Chicago Tribune humor columnist Mark Bazer. Interviewees included local crime author Marcus Sakey, filmmaker Steve Delahoyde, and yes, local hip-hop artist (and Bastion favorite) Rhymefest. Stand-up comedy interlude provided by Jena Friedman.
You can catch Schadenfreude and friends at the long-awaited return of Rent Party April 19 at Gallery Cabaret.
Friday night, Schadenfreude was honored to get up on stage with Rhymefest (Chicago rap fame). He was a guest on the Mark Bazer hosted "The Interview Show", which runs the first Fridays of every month at the Hideout. We've known Mark a long time and he introduced the idea to Rhymefest's people of doing a sketch to end the show. At first we said yes. Then we reconsidered and said yes again. We wrote up a quick bit in which Kate James and myself play a yuppie South Loop couple that is looking to produce Rhymefest's next record. Best joke of the night: "You can trust us Rhyme. We are from the south side like you. RF: Where on the south side? Schad: Dearborn and Roosevelt? Next to that new Whole Foods? Actually it's pre-construction...." When Rhymefest showed up at the Hideout, we worked out the bit. He had received a copy of the script and he had it ready. He even changed up lines and made better jokes. We invited him to join Schad on the spot. He said...no. I guess this rap stuff is working for him. Whatever Rhyme, did we mention we are playing Gallery Cabaret next week? No. Big. Deal.
The bit went over great, even though the show was over-time and halfway through our bit the house manager said something like "get off the stage" from the house mic. Um, awesome. Like most Schad gigs, we made it seem as if we jumped from the audience and crashed the stage. But even though that was the feel of the bit, we took at least 2 months worth of table reading, workshopping, all day symposium work and 14 days of rehearsal to make it "seem" that way for the 2 minute riff. That's how dedicated we are to the craft. So house manager, save it for your alt country band that used to be in the side project of a side project that used to be called the Mekons. All in all, Rhymefest was great and it was a huge ego-stroke to get on stage with him. We love his music (the genre) and it was another cool moment with a cool Chicagoan. Now if we could get the guys from Walter E. Smithe to do a bit? You build it, we dream it.
-Justin Kaufmann
Attention all media enthusiasts, wanna-be politicos, and comedy afficionados: tonight, Friday, February 8, Redeye columnist Mark Bazar would like to invite you to a brand-new show at the Hideout (1354 W. Wabansia), aptly titled "The Interview Show".
Tonight kicks off the show's monthly residency at the Hideout, to recur every first Friday (except this month, as it's actually the second Friday... but no matter).
Mark will be interviewing John Green, novelist ("Looking for Alaska"), Julie Smolyansky, CEO of Lifeway Foods, and Justin Kaufmann, of Schadenfreude, with a short stand-up set by Hannibal Buress and videos from the campaign trail by journalist Maegan Carberry.
Last Friday, we joined the full house at the Lakeshore Theater for Blerds.com's monthly multimedia/stand-up showcase. With lingering fog from the night's previous show still wafting through the air, we got out our BYOflask and settled into the plush seats as host Prescott Tolk welcomed the audience with friendly nudging and his trademark grin. The show continued, with local alt phenoms Brady Novak and Nick Vatterott joining L.A. Blerds member Nate Craig and NYC Blerds member Mike Burns (both as himself and as Movie Star "Ain't No Fag" Tom Berenger). An editing snafu has put the debut of the webisode pilot, "Hung", on hiatus for the time being, so instead the short "Dungeons and Dragons", written by Jared Logan and directed by Steve Delahoyde, with Kumail Nanjiani and Robert Buscemi, was shown to uproarious approval. Mike Burns also brought a little tidbit with him, "The Adventures of Fat Superman", a film about wayward superheroes who get impossibly drunk and eat too much fried chicken, starring Eric Andre, Dan Curry, and Mike Burns, directed by Eric Egerton.
The next Blerds show at the Lakeshore (click for tix) will be November 17 at 8 p.m. In memoriam of the late Pat Brice, many special guests will be flying in to perform, including TJ Miller, Kyle Kinane, Shawn Cole, Jeff Klinger, and more. Brady Novak, CJ Sullivan, and Sean Flannery will also perform, and new videos by Jordan Vogt-Roberts featuring Pat will be shown (no pressure, but how we hope and pray for Air + Water Show to be completed by then, oh please oh please oh PLEASE). The Visitors Locker Room will also be presenting classic Brice moments in aural history, and as a long-time daily listener of the sports comedy Internet radio show, the Bastion can assure you these are moments you will want to cherish.
This is going to be a big one -- get your tickets sooner rather than later. We have our money on a sell out.
On the Scene: Baby Wants Candy, the Apollo Theater
This past Friday, The Bastion was thrilled to attend the inaugural performance of Baby Wants Candy at their new home on Apollo Theater's mainstage. The rotating cast of pros once again did not disappoint, with their rousing take on the theme, "Rehab". Adorable McPretty and Co. danced, sang, fellated, and screamed their way through a completely improvised musical, on its opening, and sadly, closing night. Don't worry, though: there will be a totally new musical, and possibly even a new cast of performers, every Friday from here on out, 10:30 p.m. at the Apollo Theater.
On the Scene: Chicago Style Comedy, Wise Fools Pub
Brendan McGowan, Mike Stanley, Victor Marinier, and Joe Kilgallon.
Last night, the Bastion pretty much lived in Lincoln Park, with dinner at Red Lion Pub, then a skip over to the Apollo Theater for the monthly Chicago Comedy Series show, and then back down south on Lincoln Ave. for the debut showcase of "Chicago Style Comedy" at Wise Fools Pub, a new room started by the Birds Nest boys and offering great promise in the world of barroom stand-up comedy. The bar has a dedicated room for live performance, roomy seating arrangement, and a well-lit stage and decent sound system, as it's used to hosting a variety of music events. Chicago Style Comedy hopes to find a home here for the next several months, and will be doing the showcase on a monthly basis, with a plan to continue on a weekly basis in the near future.
The boys packed the room with a lively audience, beginning nearly on the dot! at 8 p.m., and performed long sets, with headliner Mike Stanley, oft-seen performing on the road and always a pleasure to have back home.
Hilarious sets performed by: Brendan McGowan, Mike Stanley, and co-producers Victor Marinier and Joe Kilgallon. Scene out: Dean Carlson, Jeff Hansen (who is beginning a new comedy show at Gorilla Tango Sept. 5 -- stay tuned), Bill Cruz, Sean Rumrill, Bradley Fojas.
Last night's Globe Gong Idol was possibly the most raucous one yet (a near impossible feat you might think if you've been to past Gongs), where three dozen performers took the stage in a whirlwind affair, attempting to spit, crush, sing, and swivel before a wall-to-all audience had the chance to smother their attempts with deafening BOOS and calls for the GONG. In the middle of a near-riot while Prescott Tolk was getting over some jokes, the whole she-bang was interrupted by a dozen Mama Truth followers, chanting and drumming their way through the bewildered crowd, who had thought the show couldn't reach further absurdity. Mama and her crew took their chance on stage, but the audience had an intuition they were interloping, promptly hissing for them to leave so they could get back to booing their own people.
The myriad of performers included Adam Kozlowski, Jared Logan, Robert Buscemi, Brady Novak, Brian Berry (who took home the winning prize of the evening for best performance), Dave Odd, Sarah King as Mama Truth, Mike Sheehan, Jason Fever, John Springsteen, Steve Carrier, Aretha Franklin, Cameron Esposito, Echo, Hannibal Buress, "Twister Man", "Optimus Prime", Carrie Long, Robin Kemp, Ken Barnard, Adam Burke, Prescott Tolk, Kyle Parris, special guest from NYC, Liam McEneaney, host Tony Blanco, and judges Kumail Nanjiani, Hannah Gansen, and Benny Harris, all with impeccably timed zingers waiting at the end of each performer's hustle. Spotted in the crowd was Bradley Fojas, Tony Sam, Dustin White, Mark Geary, Brian Potrafka, and current hobo-n-drifter Landon Kirksey; he's back in town for the week to play some gigs with his band Devin and the Straights after cooling for a bit in Ft. Worth, TX, where he's been doing work in an improv theatre and getting some commercial spots under his belt.
Impress These Apes is back for season two. We conducted a terrifying but necessary interview with Hollywood Ape and got some scoop on the new season of simian terror, human oppression, and, oh yeah, lots and lots of laughs.
When and where is the Apes 2 kickoff?
We begin the torture of contestants on Thursday August 2nd, upstairs at the Improv Olympic, at 8:00 p.m. It will run every Thursday for 2 months.
What's new, exciting, and banana-scented about season two?
Well, we had to learn a new dance for the opening, it was choreographed by the lovely, but non-simian Erica Reid Gerdes. There are tons of new challenges, and a new bonus point system that will change the face of ape-judged talent shows. It is truly groundbreaking for talent shows administered by apes.
For the uninitiated, what exactly happened at the end of last season, and why do you need to come back again? Wasn't all of that "fate of the planet and all of humankind" stuff settled then?
Well, the fact is, we never left. At the end of last season, our Time Machine broke. Now we must harness the talent of the new batch of contestants to try and power that mofo up. Humankind is still in some serious shit. The plot of Impress these Apes is very important, I'm glad, dear interviewer, that you are aware of its intricacies.
Are you going to torture the human contestants with new tasks this time around? What will they be forced to do for your superior simian amusement?
This year we have 87% new tasks! They will stretch the "talent" of our contestants to the breaking point. Also, did I mention the new bonus point system, a system that has yet to be seen in any talent based competition-type show (that involves apes.)?
What do you and the other apes do for fun in between shows?
What do we do for fun...hmm...well, for the last two weeks, I've been traveling around to grade schools spoiling Harry Potter. I pose as an actor doing a one man show about Mark Twain, and then right when I get to the part about Twain's friendship with Financier Henry Huttleston Rogers (about 30 minutes into the show) I rip off my wig and throw down my pipe and yell some crazy-ass spoiler from book 7....You wouldn't believe the look on these kids' faces when they realize that the last 10 years of their literary lives have been ripped asunder by a hyper intelligent ape. As for the other guys, in their spare time, Apehab yachts and Barry Shirley makes his own jeans.
How smart are you exactly? Can your intelligence really be measured by traditional human IQ scores?
Yes, dummy, nice question. Humans evolved from apes, so the same test works for both.
I know you're not actually one of them, but what's the deal with those red-assed baboon things at the zoo? Really, they're kind of weird. what's with them?
Those apes are the kind of monkeys that you can take home from the bar, but you can't take home to mom. Believe me, as a famous ape actor, I've intercoursed all types of apes, and these are the most unsavory of the lot.
Are you ever going to let Scoresboard off his leash and let him find a new mate?
HAHA, that's ripe. Recently we reanimated his former love and allowed him a conjugal, then midway through the conjugal we de-animated her, his face was priceless!! We are gonna try and get the video up on YouTube, it is just too funny.
Last night, the Bastion attended the Chicago Comedy Series (CCS) show at the Apollo Theater. The Series had been on a two-month hiatus, reentering the theater scene with a retooled format, focusing heavily on stand-up. Last night saw the stylings of host Jared Logan, Dan Telfer, Fay Canale, David Angelo, and Prescott Tolk, none of whom seemed nonplussed by the lack of a microphone. Powerhouse improv group Dirty Water rounded out the evening, with their rants and wacky meandering stories of sports, technology, and whatever other topic of conversation might come up between friends at the local pub.
The intimate theater offers an opportunity for comedians to use the physical space and project their bits in what comes off as a storytelling session to fifty friends. The vibe is certainly different than a typical night of a comedy at a smoky bar, with a convenient cocktail waitress circling to be sure the audience stays well-wetted. The audience is made up of a nice range of ages, since it is a theater space and no one has to be of a certain age to enjoy the performance.
We might surmise to say that the space is doing for local acts what the Lakeshore Theater is now doing for national comedy acts -- creating a theater experience outside of the original comedy club, where comedy is being celebrated as a performance art. This is a natural transition, especially here in Chicago, where the comedy tradition is heavily rooted in theater performance -- now, stand-up is been enveloped into that, in both performance styles and venue.
The August 29 show will feature members of Blerds.com, and the September CCS show will officially begin their new Saturday night run, at 10:30 p.m. on the 29th. Also in the works is a mainstage comedy showcase on August 13, featuring acts from all of the Apollo shows, with headliners Baby Wants Candy. We will have more information on this jam-packed event next month. Also overheard on the scene last night was some whisperings of SpitFire Comedy teaming up with CCS to begin a bimonthly showcase in the theater -- stay tuned for more on that soon!
We sent off Bastion photographer Krystle Gemnich and Bastion Special Correspondent Robert Buscemi to check out Patton and Janeane's show on Tuesday while we were galavanting between parties and shows. You can see the full photo set here, and read Krystle's take on the show in her fanblog, Always on Silent. Robert Buscemi pipes in below with his thoughts:
Lakeshore Theater throws a hell of a party. They've somehow created a libertine atmosphere -- it's a gala hall, but a truly raucous evening as well. Must be the management and staff's true-blue love of fantastic comedy.
First off, Chicago native John Mulaney whipped a capacity crowd up with 15 minutes of sharp, confident material honed on freaking Late Night with Conan Freaking O'Brien, among other places. Several talented comedians in the back suppressed involuntary wails of jealousy at Mulaney's youth and skill and success, and at the fact that he's such a totally sweet guy to boot (I've seen him pick up other people's discarded pop cans and candy wrappers on a Manhattan sidewalk and throw them away mid-conversation – how's that for a decent bloke?). Mulaney's distinctive and terrific -- ask anyone.
Then the great Janeane Garofalo did a very conversational hour on politics and the allegiance gay women fans have for her. She had a notebook and tattoos and looked for all the world like the cool alt-comedy kid she remains, which stands to reason when you consider that she created that mold.
Finally, Captain Fun himself, Patton Oswalt, came on at midnight and proceeded to shred, mostly off the cuff if I'm not mistaken, toward a 1 AM standing ovation. He talked gamely and at length to a transgendered guy and a raspy-voiced lesbian stage-right, riffing and riffing and riffing, veering occasionally and seamlessly into his richly textured material (the only way I know that is I have his latest CD). Patton was so clearly having a ball that he left you no choice but to go along with him. He's truly a showman and a winning guy, even when he's ripping on hypocrisy and society in general. An alt-guy with a road guy's sense of showmanship, Oswalt's the best of both worlds (a small club in which I include the great Todd Glass and the beloved Jimmy Pardo). Oswalt's an infectious master of revels. Infectious "fun," not infectious "coughing."
Congrats to Lakeshore Theater for packing them to the hilt twice in one night as well. I'm told Patton and Janeane could have played bigger Chicago venues but insisted on LST, since LST is fast-becoming the go-to home for touring alt superstars. Kudos for that.
Buscemi's gearing up for his big July 22 and 29 Annoyance Theater shows, where he'll release his much-awaited standup DVD, filmed by Blerds.com's Jordan Vogt-Roberts before a sold-out house at the Subterranean in September 2006. He'll be sharing a bill with the Money Kids at IO this Tuesday at 8 PM, $5 only.
The Chicago comedy world has had a blessed few days recently, with visiting personalities reveling in our fair town and its offerings. As you know, the Improv Festival took place last week, which saw the likes of Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers out and about, performing and partying. This past weekend, the Improv hosted Dave Attell for five sold out shows. While we do profess to being kind of in strong, strong like with Mr. Attell, we were not able to get out to any of the shows. Lucky for us, local powerhouse Mike Holmes opened it up for Dave all weekend, and has very nice things to say about the experience:
"It was a great weekend! Probably the best experience I've had in comedy so far. All 5 shows were sold out. And the crowds were incredible. 450+ people who were all really excited to see Dave perform.
"Dave was great. The chance to watch him all weekend was priceless to me as a younger comic who still has a lot to learn. Each set was different from the next. While he told a lot of the same jokes, he rarely told them the same way. He experimented with different tags in almost in every set. It was great to watch. He's the kind of comic who makes you want to go home and start writing.
"Off stage he was a really nice guy. I certainly had a few, 'I'm sitting in the green room with Dave Attell moments' but by the end of the weekend I felt pretty comfortable. After the last show every night, he would invite the entire crowd to hang out at the front bar at The Improv with him. A lot of people would and Dave would take the time to meet all of them and take pictures and whatnot. That was great to see. You begin to understand why his fans love his fans love him so much.
It was an awesome experience. I love stand-up comedy!"
Mike Holmes, Dave Attell, and Mike Bridenstine chillaxing.
Last night we persevered through another night of comedy, to see Paul F. Tompkins at the PUTS Hideout show. Local heavy hitters Robert Buscemi, Prescott Tolk, and TJ Miller featured to a packed house. After the show, several people stuck around to chat with Mr. Tompkins and have a few drinks. He is a hilarious, amiable guy, and we were happy to host him in Chicago for his first time ever here! Come on back anytime, Paul!
Prescott Tolk, TJ Miller, Robert Buscemi, and Paul F. Tompkins play well together.
This is a retrospective On the Scene report, because this event happened nearly a full month ago. Where has the spring gone from us? It's almost May, and we haven't had a chance to realize we shouldn't be wearing our winter coats still (well, in Chicago it's possible it's still required). We thought we'd take the chance to highlight last month's show with some delightful photos, while alerting you to the fact that the monthly variety showcase is happening AGAIN this month, in just mere days (April 25 to be exact!).
Members of Duchess.
Stand-up comedian Kumail Nanjiani.
The intimate studio space of the Apollo Theater is literally rife with comedic performances as of late. It's cozy yet comfortable, and we imagine that even if the 50-seater wasn't full it would still feel well-attended... the night we attended the Comedy Series was the same night a group of high school kids from North Carolina were attending, too. Judging from their uproarious laughter and squeals, we're pretty sure they'll be taking tales of Chicago's Great Comedy back home with them to friends and family -- and the Chicago Comedy Series was one of the best shows they could have experienced in the city.
Warhammer reunited to perform this evening, and commandeer the theatre's bar for a scene.
You can see the show yourself the last Wednesday of every month, up until September (as scheduled currently). This month performers featured will be Andy Ross, Ben Seeder, Fried Green Durbins and Fox Force 5, with host Jared Logan.
All photos by Krystle Gemnich. Click here to see the full, amazing set.
The latest incarnation of the improv/sketch variety show, Overstock, is now housed in the upstairs theater space at the Spot, Monday nights at 11 p.m. Three bucks gets you in, and includes one drink ticket and three or four groups who play for about 2 hours. Last night hosted groups Fort, Improv, Attila, and Betty Pringle, with host Robert Buscemi.
The Globe Pub has seen a resurgence in backroom comedy these last couple months, and last night's newest show on the scene, Globe Gong Idol, may be the one to send the tavern back into its Lyon's Den heyday. A raucous mix of all things comedic, with a weighed slant on musical comedy, and a full-on audience participation onslaught, made for a frenzied two-hour show, which parodied both the Gong Show and American Idol (go figure!). "Celebrity" judges included "Randibal Jackson", "Hannah Abdullah", and "Limey Cow" (Hannibal Buress, Hannah Gansen, and Benny Harris). The fifteen or so "contestants" ranged from "slightly pitchy" to "a disgrace to the species" (my words), and the judges had no problems saying so. The audience sent off ne'er-do-wells with an uproarious "GONG! GONG!" chant and "Limey Cow" obliged. Producer-host Tony Blanco says that he hopes to have an untamed amalgamation of acts for the new monthly show, to be staged the first Monday of every month at 9 p.m.
Cindy Cornelsen, Adam Burke, Kumail Nanjiani, and Paul Sigwerth.
Benny "Limey Cow" Harris, "Out There" Winner Kyle Parris, and host Tony Blanco.
It seems that lately, we are seeing a record amount of new rooms, new runs, and new groups forming. Perhaps this isn't so. Perhaps we've been under heavy blankets on our futon-that-doubles-as-a-bed. No matter, we need to get some things straight on our Haven't Been Yet But SWEAR We'll Get There Soon calendar:
Being fans of Paul Thomas' sketch and stand-up, we're looking forward to checking his one-man show Late Bloomer, and need to hurry, as there are only three more dates: Fridays, until March 23, 10 p.m., The Playground.
There's even LESS time than that to catch Doppelganger: Tales from the Zoetrope, as it's running tonight and next Friday, and then... scene. 10:30 p.m., the Apollo Theater.
Bringing us to this: is the Apollo Theater becoming an all-comedy venue? It sure seems like it, what with the newest stand-up showcase in the city, the Blu Mic, being staged every Thursday (and Friday, starting March 23) in that room. In addition, the Chicago Comedy Series is hosted the last Wednesday of every month, and features comedy from across the board: stand-up, improv, sketch, and more. Yes, MORE. Lest we forget, Baby Wants Candy, who moved into the theater in November, is now performing Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.
Add in every single night of the week where there is some kind of humor performance being staged, whether it be over at Second City, i.O. or varioustheaterspaces, or underground, in bars and coffeeshops across the city, and we really don't understand how we're supposed to get anything done with all of this awesome stuff to check out. Seriously guys.
Mankind's Survival, Hamburger in Town, TJ Carpools
Okay, we've said it a million times already, and we'll say it again: Impress These Apes is a show you NEED to see. Lucky for you, they're holding the finale of their eight-week run at the 300-seat Lakeshore Theater, so you can actually get in tonight -- the show's run at Playground has been regularly sold out all seven weeks thus far. The contest's winner tonight will be lauded with a $250 cash prize, and the distinct honor of saving mankind from imminent doom.
If you haven't heard yet, the infamous Neil Hamburger will be headlining tomorrow's People Under the Stares show at the Hideout. Sara over at Drag City, the folks that produce the show, tells us, "Neil is one of the most creative comedians around. He's a character, not an observational humorist. He tells off-color jokes, has a bit of a throat clearing problem, a little problem with cocktails, and definitely has some issues with his hair styling and fashion sense. He's also well-loved by many, including Tom Green (he's got his own show on Tom Green's online channel called "Poolside Chats with Neil Hamburger") Jimmy Kimmel (he's made several appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live). Finally, Jack Black invited him to open the Tenacious D tour. He's since performed at Madison Square Garden, to a whole new crop of adoring and somewhat perplexed fans." Local powerhouses Brady Novak and Jason Fever open.
And finally, an official announcement from Blerds: "Our own TJ Miller was cast as Marmaduke in ABC’s comedy pilot “Carpoolers.” It’s directed by the Russo brothers (Arrested Development) and written by Bruce McCulloch (Kids in the Hall). Produced by Dreamworks, 3arts (30 Rock) and Touchstone. He is excited and has already spent all the money before he got it (or before it even gets on television)." Congrats TJ!!!
Apes, the Mix, Tuesday Riot, ChUC, Chicago Comedy Awards
The Bastion has been up to its usual tricks, hitting Impress These Apes followed by the open mic at the Mix on Monday, and Thomas and TJ's Tuesday Riot followed by Chicago Underground Comedy last night. Yeah, we might need a night off.
The Impress These Apes talent this week was short film, and the hapless human contestants, try though they might, may not be able to fend off the eventual destruction of humanity and the planet itself. (Also, is it just us, or is Professor Scoresboard more openly hostile to his banana-mashing captors as time goes on? Not that we blame him, what with the constant humiliation of that organ grinder monkey suit they make him wear.) Some of the films were pretty chuckleworthy, and we all got free popcorn, so it all evens out in the end. Oh, and next week's show, which is the grand finale, will not be at the Playground, but rather, the Lakeshore Theater, at Broadway and Belmont. Be there to see the grand prize winner pocket a life-changing $250, and, you know, witness the end of homo sapiens.
The Mix open mic was mellow, as usual, with a steady stream of comics rotating through the room, and little glitches like the spotlight burning out, requiring the comedians to stand, Hannibal Lecter-like, directly under a stage light. We chatted with the usual suspects, including Robert Buscemi, Hannibal, Andy Ross, Jena Friedman, and Bill Cruz, and caught a few minutes by Jack Calhoun and Jared Logan as Brady Novak hosted what the nerdier among us secretly hoped would have been a straight-up President's Day show. What? Michael Palascak pulled off a clothesline of Presidential jokes. Some people appreciated the effort.
Last night's Thomas and TJ's Tuesday Riot actually didn't feature TJ Miller, as he's off in L.A. chasing down some tv-related pilot opportunities of some sort. (We got a one-line e-mail on that one. Hey, we can't get the full scoop all the time!) But Thomas Middleditch and his guest improviser did their best with a tiny audience who (ahem) supplied the performers with the hackiest of audience suggestions to work with. (Sorry to tell you, loud and possibly drunk dude in back row, but improvisers have heard things like "dildo" and "poo" yelled out from the darkness of the audience since the dawn of time. Seriously.) Brendan McGowan, Mike Holmes, and Prescott Tolk took the stage for the stand-up portion of the show, which, again, was not an ideal situation for them, in terms of the number of audience members and the non-clubby set-up of the Del Close Theater, but we have high hopes for this show turning into something pretty great if it is able to build up a loyal following.
Chicago Underground Comedy was good fun last night. Chicago comedy photog and megafan Katie Moore was led onstage and treated to a big blazing birthday cake and a singalong, although she was awfully quick to duck the spotlight and leap offstage. (The cake, in case you're wondering, was white, with chocolate icing - quite tasty.) Mike Bridenstine hosted, and featured comics included the delightful Cameron Esposito, who revealed that she and her sister, like a lot of Catholic kids, grew up transfiguring various household snack items into the holy host for playtime games of Mass. (We went for smashed Wonder Bread ourselves, but apparently Better Cheddars and Nilla Wafers will also do in a pinch.) Also onstage at ChUC were Daryl Amandes (of the Adventure Club and Scribble), Ricky Carmona, David Angelo, and Sean Flannery. Also there to enjoy a laugh (and yoink some cake) were Bradley Fojas, Jordan Vogt-Roberts, Lauren Bishop and Hannah Gansen.
While at ChUC we were glad to offer congratulations to producer and comic Tony Sam, who nabbed the Mark Sinclair Memorial Award for Most Innovative Comedian at last week's Chicago Comedy Awards, which were hosted by Ken Bernard at the Lincoln Lodge. We have to think that award was apt. Have you seen anyone else whang more comedy out of a ukelele than Tony Sam? No, you haven't. Other winners included Best Comedian Jared Logan, Most Improved Comedian Becky Garcia, and Comic's Choice C.J. Sullivan. It was mentioned that perhaps Ken, though he did a wonderful job as host, should be replaced next year so he can be eligible for a big shiny prize as well.
(Tony Sam picture courtesy of Krystle Gemnich. Krystle's photos from the Chicago Comedy Awards here, and yet another great set from Katie Moore here.)
While sitting in the Bastion offices, idly daydreaming whilst staring out of the floor-to-ceiling windows in our 99th floor penthouse, marveling at all the tiny ant people and thinking, "wow... blogging really DOES pay off, silly ant people," we forgot to actually, you know, post about stuff we've seen. First though: Hey Chicago comedy! Quit being so damned good and so damned prevalent! We simply can't keep up this lifestyle of being amused every night and (not) writing about it everyday! This is getting a little out of control, okay?
TWO Fridays ago the Bastion checked out the new monthly stand-up room at Town Hall Pub, hosted by Seth Thomas. We had a rollicking good time in this unconventional space; it might possibly become the most diverse room on the Northside, both in terms of comedic styles and ethnicities of performers and audience alike. As a special bonus: a hip-hop dance party broke out after the show finished and the Bastion got to shake its booty just a little.
After cutting loose on the dancefloor for a bit, we were able to make it over to the weekly Friday midnight show Scribble at the Playground Theater, hosted by the quickly rising duo Adventure Club. We've been fans of Daryl Amandes' stand-up for quite some time, and had heard tell of his free style talents, but hadn't witnessed them. Then we started reading about Adventure Club. And reading about them. And reading about them some more. Finally, we hung our heads in rightly deserved shame and finally got over to their show -- and were blown away at the combination of Amandes and Justin Jackson as a rap sketch duo. Believe the hype, we promise.
F.O.B. 80s Clown gave us a heads up about a weekly show at Goodbar that is mainly an improv showcase but that might be expanding to stand-up and possibly even some multimedia -- 80s used video for the first time at his show this past Wednesday and he told us it went over well.
We weren't able to make that show in person, however, due to already being slated to see comedian Landon Kirksey's band Devin and the Straights perform at the Beat Kitchen, with guests Scattered Maize. We were surprised to find that Scattered Maize had us laughing while keeping our feet moving -- we are looking forward to seeing a lot more of them. Devin's been a favorite around here for sometime, and seeing Landon Kirksey wail on a microphone and harmonicas is an incredible treat. We were told the show was being recorded for a live CD so we're hot to get some preview mp3s of that.
We wrapped up comedy last week with the Lincoln Lodge's special Superbowl Spectacular show Thursday night, with stand-up from the members of the Visitors' Locker Room, a audience-participation game that brought to life one of the in-studio segments the Internet radio show produces, and a taped interview of the "Lovie Smith" and "Tony Dungy". We're not the biggest sports nerds here in the Bastion offices, but we never miss a show of VLR (3 p.m. CST on fearlessradio.com), and the Superbowl Spectacular is regularly an annual highlight. Thursday nights are typically a lower-key night at the Lodge, but even in these current below-zero temps in Chicago, the turnout was good and the performances top notch.
All photos by Krystle Gemnich. From top to bottom: Karen Williams, Adventure Club, 80s Clown, Devin and the Straights, the Visitors' Locker Room.
The super-high-energy-and-crazed duo known as Lani & Emi are finishing their Annoyance run tonight, and implore you to "bring empty beer and soda cans". Be prepared and show up at 8 p.m. for this anything goes showdown.
Those of intestinal fortitude can try and hit the Book Cellar before Lani & Emi for a 7 p.m. reading from The Phat Phree, of "Look at My Striped Shirt" fame.
The time has come to close out on the wildly popular midnight show, "Let Them Ho's Fight" over at i.O. This group boasts, "To watch them perform, is to party harder than you ever have before." Catch them one last time tomorrow at midnight in the Del Close theater.
Before you go over to that show, you can make a full night of it and check out the new stand-up show at Town Hall Pub, hosted by Seth Thomas (of the former Defiant Thomas Brothers). Tomorrow night's inaugural line-up is jam-packed and includes Karen Williams (co-star of the lesbian documentary film, "Laughing Matters"), with Reynald Adolphe, Lauren Bishop, Robert Buscemi, Bradley Fojas, Jena Friedman, Stacey Hallal, Darius Kennedy and Dan Polydoris.
Any thoughts on today's cover story in the RedEye? The publication uses Sarah Silverman's mug to humanize the concept "shock comedy", the Village Voice in NYC uses her "Ts" to sell an interview. The woman has found her niche, no?
We've been musing on the possibility of the creation of a Rififi-style club in Chicago for some time, but wonder what factors need to exist in order to reach this ideal. Is it venue, geographic area, the personalities that infiltrate it, a delicate combination of all of the above, some other unknown element added to the mix? We'd welcome your thoughts on the topic. In the meantime, we're wondering what Gorilla Tango Theatre will offer the Chicago comedy community; we're intrigued by the idea of Pressure Cafe evolving into an all-comedy venue; and we're really excited with the rest of this month's line-up for Monday nights at the Note, the eight hour long revue of pretty much everything imagined. We're going to check it out soon and report back, especially as it's had a few weeks to smooth out the rough spots. Have you ventured into promising unknown territory? Let us know about YOUR interesting nights out in comedy.
Tonight, the Note has host Hannibal, Brady Novak (the Lincoln Lodge, Heavyweight, Goldibear), CJ Sullivan (Visitors Locker Room, Blerds.com), Andy Ross (Chicago Underground Comedy, a Demon Who Never Appeared), Ricky Carmona (Chicago Underground Comedy, HBO Latino), Mike Bridenstine (Chicago Underground Comedy, Blerds.com), one-man band Willis P. Jenkins, and DJ Seoul, followed by an open mic at midnight and DJs spinning until 4 a.m. What a way to start the week.
If you survived this past weekend's Halloween shenanigans, with the addition of an hour Saturday night due to the daylight savings time change, and STILL want more Halloween buffoonery, there is no shortage of gore, costumes, and laughter about town (and even some lovely ladies shaking their thang).
ChUC will be going full out tonight, with the likes of "Allison Mummy", "Mike Frankenstine", "Robert Wolfscemi", and "Dracula Tolk" performing, with "free snacks and everything!"
Our friends over at Star + Garter Burlesque will be performing a special Halloween show of “Thriller! I Hardly Know Her” at the Motel Bar for free beginning at 9:30 p.m. Get there early; if these ladies' shows at Fizz are any indication, this one's going to fill up fast!
Stage Left Theatre will be hosting some of i.O.'s top performers in "Four Chambers", four frightening and hilarious comedy vignettes.
The folks in Let's Get Out of This Terrible Sandwich Shop will be playing the Note in Wicker Park tonight. Stop by and see them if you can, because it's going to be their last gig for awhile as they're heading into the studio to record and work on some new stuff. There will also be a calypso band and a karaoke contest!
pH Productions is having a "Halloween Hootenanny" fundraiser at the Bird's Nest, promising contests and an all-you-can-drink bar until 11 p.m. for your 30 bucks.
If you haven't checked it out yet, the teen-slasher parody Splatter Theatre at Annoyance will end run tonight; be sure to wear your paintin' clothes for this one!
Shows are 8 and 10pm on the 27th and 4 and 6pm on October 28th. Send an e-mail or call ahead (773-871-3793) to make reservations, as these shows will probably fill up pretty fast, and be warned that tickets will only be released at 10 minutes before show time, and latecomers will have to wait for a break between acts to be seated, so performers have an ideal environment in which to strut their stuff. Go Chicago comedy!
Time Out Chicago named it a Don't Miss this week, the Chicago Reader gave it a coveted "Recommended" R-star, Flavorpill hand-picked it for their highlighted comedy event of the week, and the Bastion had a nightmare about it last night -- It's the long-awaited one-man show of the Grandmaster of Independent Comedy in Chicago, Robert Buscemi, at the Subterranean, 2011 North Ave., at 9:30 p.m., tonight.
Also featuring Jared Logan and Kumail, with special guests pop rock sensations the Romeros, this show is being filmed for an upcoming DVD by Blerds auteur Jordan Vogt-Roberts, in a last-minute deal finagled through executive producer Landon Kirksey.
TJ Miller with the girls of Star and Garter Burlesque.
We're not sure if that's the working title of this new comedy/burlesque show, but we like it. And we LOVED the show. Thursday, August 31, was the first installment for the coupling of Star and Garter Burlesque and a handful of the top independent stand-up comics in Chicago, to a room of more than 200 people at Fizz Bar on Lincoln Ave. We could feel the kinetic energy in the air as showgoers began lining up on the staircase to the upstairs of the venue, and a few minutes later, the Bastion politely removed itself from conversation at the bar with Ricky Carmona and Pat Brice and got in line with miss Emily Gordon, an aspiring burlesque dancer who currently takes a class with world-famousburlesque dancer and mother hen of the troupe, Michelle L'Amour. (Emily can also sometimes be seen driving the Bastion to the grocery store in a thunderstorm, but that's another story.)
The excitement was not unwarranted. There were a sizeable amount of people in the standing-room only section at the back of the long but fairly wide room; when the troupe came on for their first group number, the place went absolutely bonkers. It was certainly interesting to see how comedy was received in conjunction with beautiful women dancing provocatively on stage to amazing music; from what the Bastion could tell from its place in the back, the crowd was very receptive to the comedic interludes, and outside of a few technical glitches (sound that didn't carry all the way to the back of the room was mostly the only complaint), the production went off without a hitch. We are definitely looking forward to the next one September 7, and we hear tell that it will remain a weekly event for at least three weeks, with an evaluation after that period to determine whether to continue a weekly run or to become a staple monthly revue. The Bastion would like to give kudos to Jared Logan, Kumail, Pat Brice (a last minute substitute for Nick Vatterott, who was booked at Zanies and didn't know if he could get over to the venue in time for his slot), Robert Buscemi, host TJ Miller, and the girls of Star and Garter for a great evening.
More Laughs Than Stares at "People Under the Stares"
We've been prettyexcited about this possibly-maybe new monthly show, the People Under the Stares, produced by the Empty Bottle and Drag City Records. So excited, in fact, that we ended up catching both the 9:00 p.m. AND the last-minute-added 11:00 p.m. show this past Tuesday. We got a chance to catch up with Rian Murphy of Drag City to get a few of his thoughts on the show and its future: "Tuesday was a great night. We had a lot of fun and the audience seemed to as well. The two shows played to really different crowds with different conceptions of what was funny, which was cool. If future shows turn out as well, it should be a good series. We're almost set for September, with the lineup for October in the works as well."
Good! Because we had a great time, and it was very interesting to take in a stand-up show within a very indie rock vibe. For instance, the question arose, "How crucial is it to SEE a performer?" Where a theatrical style is often employed with many stand-up comics in Chicago, we think that merely being able to hear the set-up/punch is adequate, but not the kill it oftentimes is when an audience gets to see the nuanced body language and facial expressions of ma
For the uninitiated, what exactly happened at the end of last season, and why do you need to come back again? Wasn't all of that "fate of the planet and all of humankind" stuff settled then?
Improv
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