On the scene: The Late Night Late Show reunion at Just for Laughs

Jordan Klepper and Seth Weitberg remounted their zany, culty talk-show spoof last night at iO as part of the Just for Laughs fest. The show disappeared from iO's weekly lineup a couple years back after a 76-week run, making it one of the more vaunted local shows at this year's fest. It missed as much as it hit, but a sold-out crowd was plenty amped up for the reunion event.

Klepper was in fine form as he delivered a short but solid monologue as fake host Mark Luge—as was Weitberg, returning as Luge's sidekick. The first announced guest for the evening was Mr. Show's Bob Odenkirk, but instead David Cross surprised the crowd by taking Odenkirk's place. Cross was on as he fielded questions about TV credits like Arrested Development and Mr. Show, his upcoming book, etc. In the segment's most memorable moment, Luge asked Cross to explain to the audience the Mr. Show premise. So Cross walked off stage and personally went up to each audience member to explain the concept. It was utterly ridiculous and the highlight of the night. Likewise, musical guest the 1900s, a local favorite, delivered a brief but rewarding set.

But the Late Night Late Show only worked when it stuck closely to its talk show format. A running gag about ratings and TBS corporate sponsorship was funny for the first few seconds but grew downright irksome by the end. Likewise, the appearance of iO's Steve Waltien (LNLS's later host) as a reality star along with Sarah Haskins seemed like a wasted use of both comics' talents. At 90-minutes they could've easily cut this sucker down a bit.

Still, the memory of David Cross shaking my hand and explaining to me that Mr. Show was just this scrappy little thing with no budget will linger for a long time.