Sketchfest review roundup

The first weekend of Sketchfest 2009 began with a bang and ended with a whimper. When I say “began with a bang,” I mean it literally. At the tail end of Day Two, I was hit in the face by a rogue potato thrown by Team Submarine’s Steve O’Brien (above, right), reminding me in the worst possible way that there’s a good f’ing reason people don’t go around throwing tubers standard rules of theatre don’t apply at the world’s largest sketch comedy festival.

Here’s a round-up of the good, the bad and the bizarre this weekend at Sketchfest.

Friday, January 9

Bri-Ko
In most cases, nothing screams awful like the phrase “inventive adventures in clowning.” In Bri-Ko's case, clowning is way more funny than freakish.  Despite premiering at a comedy festival known to get a bit on the raunchy side, the all-silent, G-rated Bri-Ko is proof that a group needs neither words nor adult content to be hysterical. Basically a non-blue Blue Man Group, Bri-ko’s three lab-coat, helmet-sporting men opened to a packed house Friday evening with an array of sketches centered around simple, meticulously executed concepts. One guy tries to fill out a form while two behind him make noise. Three guys take a swim until one farts. The concepts sound stupidly simple (because they are), but were so cleverly explored by actors Brian Posen, Brian Peterlin, and Tim Soszko, they’re hysterical. Though audiences on the Friday 16 show probably won’t see a reprisal of Soszko’s real-life non-silent proposal to his girlfriend (which perfectly closed last Friday’s show), they’ll get their $12.50’s worth and then some.

BriTANick
There’s a soft spot in my heart for any show that begins with “I’ll add the plutonium” and ends with “I called them all cunts and shat myself.” A top  contender for Sketchfest’s smartest set, the BriTANick team of New York City's Brian McElhaney and Nick Kocher offered a delightfully dorktastic show that explored time travel, chickenfaggots (their word, not mine) and friendship (awww). The real draw of BriTANick is McElhaney and Kocher’s impeccable timing. Throughout the show, the on-stage duo conducts ongoing conversations with video recordings to their “future selves” without missing a beat. I’m anxious  to see what the group brings next year. Come back to Chicago, BriTANick. Your geeky charm is always welcome here.

Ten West
Another show, another hit. The LA-based duo, Ten West, wooed half the crowd (including me) and revolted the other with their all-silent, Charlie  Chaplin-esque set. Taking place at a funeral gone awry, sketch highlights included an ill-timed photo op over a casket and a playful river cruise with Death. While I probably could have done without the silent air humping Jon Monastero performed on an unsuspecting audience member, the group’s carefully planned physical comedy was a creative alternative to other Sketchfest shows.

Team Submarine
It’s a bold group that opens a show by forcing the audience to crowd surf an 8-foot(ish) long banquet up four rows of people, only to immediately take it back. Undoubtedly the most traditional sketch show of the night, the New York-based duo brought A-plus material ranging from the esoteric (Gettysburg Address jokes…anyone? Anyone?) to the awesomely awful, including a pun which compared the group’s show to “a salad with raunch dressing.” While the material was definitely clever, parts of the show became repetitive and the execution could have been tighter. I look forward to seeing what the group has to offer at Sketchfest 2010.

Saturday, January 10

Northern Briton Theatre Company
Opening with a medley of Disney parodies about Jack the Ripper murdering prostitutes, the four British teens of Northern Briton brought a hit or miss  showcase to Sketchfest that would have fared better with different material. While all four cast members are definitely talented and bring some poignant material to the stage – the sketch about Scottish stereotypes was executed particularly well – the actors seem a little out of their league when it comes to bits about pedophilic clowns or the comparison between a good meal and a good shag. The potential is there, but ironically, it’s the teen voice the show’s missing.

Summer of Tears
There’s a reason the guy next to me hailed the show as “the best sketch show I’ve ever seen.” Smart, sassy, and consistently hysterical, Summer of Tears’ fantastically bizarre foray into subjects ranging from airline handjobs to jean cut-off themed Westerns is like finding the Holy Grail of comedy. Show
highlights include a conversation with an escaped aborted fetus and a very white, very Jewish Will Greenberg’s dead-on Denzel Washington impersonation.

The Birthday Boys
Aside from an upbeat 3-D-themed dance number, most Birthday Boys material came across as meh at best. The group seems to be a victim of the overacting bug. Sketches were either high or low volume with very little in-between (same goes for energy). On a more positive note, the group does earn
major kudos for being brave enough to incorporate a hat made of meat into their set. "Ham hat" was the show highlight for me.

Sunday, January 11

Jablonski/The Assristocracy
Spot on in certain parts, slightly lagging in others, the two-person Jablonski team nailed it with a sketch making fun of improv and a chicken rendition of  "Carol of the Bells," but lost ground with an overly long bit about Benedict Arnold, DDS. The follow-up Assristocracy show fared less well. While a sketch about roasting Thomas Jefferson (roasting in the Hugh Hefner sense, not in the apple-in-mouth pig sense) was noteworthy, most jokes stayed on the safe side and failed to challenge the audience.

For more Sketchfest comedy, read "Sketchfest shuffle."