RECOMMENDED
The first fifteen minutes of Pat O’Brien’s “Shatter” are improvised. Just O’Brien—low-key and deadpan—and a few props, awkwardly interacting with the audience. It’s pure genius. (The one-man show runs on a double bill Tuesday nights at the Second City e.t.c.) The opening bit involves the Guinness Book of World Records, exposed for the stupid collection of random anecdotes that it is, with O’Brien attempting to shatter various entries. In his sweater vest and tie, the guy is like an overgrown Catholic school boy, shy and yet unexpectedly subversive. There’s a lot of Andy Kaufman in his performance—a kind of agreeable hostility—and you’re never quite sure what’s going on or when it’s OK to laugh. You can’t ask for more in this particular genre—rare is the one-man show this good or this outrageously unexpected. O’Brien has a canny way of playing his intelligence and observational skills against his low-grade skittishness and apparent innocence. The result is an inspired sort of looniness. When playing himself, he is both uncomfortable in his skin and very much in command. In the scripted portions, his focus on the smallest details of character is like an Edward Hopper come to life: With Foghat’s “Slow Ride” blasting from the speakers, he is a pool shark nailing every shot in time with the music, a freaky look on his face—all crazy eyes and ego. The performance is scaled just right. He does a creepy-ingratiating turn as an instructor teaching a course on how to play the spoons, and gives a nice middle finger to bad stand-up routines—performed behind a giraffe mask. He also backs into an uproarious joke involving the insipid lyrics to Matchbox 20’s “3am”—the bit requires a long setup, but the payoff is worth it. See this show before it closes. Preceding O’Brien is Nicky Margolis, a former e.t.c. cast member whose one-woman show “Split!” follows the rhythms and beats of a standard Second City revue. She is chipper, if only mildly funny. But she is uncompromising when it comes to attacking the narcissistic underpinnings of a one-person show, and her final scene—which has her singing a power ballad duet about self-empowerment with a video of herself, like something out of a deranged “Wicked”—is one of the funniest things I’ve seen in a long time, pushing self-love to its obvious conclusion. It’s a hilarious conceit, and she pulls it off perfectly. (Nina Metz)

“Split” and “Shatter” run at Second City e.t.c., 1608 North Wells, (312)642-8189, on Tuesdays through July 29.

It is a little depressing to see a twisted soul like Timothy Edward Mason, hilarious and slightly freakish earlier this year at SketchFest, now reduced to just another guy doing the same old tired Second City schtick. Mason’s previous sketch troupe, Brick, has been disbanded for a few years now, but their reunion show at SketchFest in January was brilliant and strange and full of unpredictable moments. Also, it was very, very funny. The same can not be said of “Campaign Supernova,” the thirty-first revue currently occupying Second City’s e.t.c. stage like a warm beer on a humid night (Matt Hovde is the director). Too much feels like a retread of a retread, including a sketch with spliced dialogue that is an almost exact rip-off of something Brick did with far better results. There is a slow jamz ode to R. Kelly’s incessant lyrical rhyming and trial delays, and while I like what it’s aiming for, it never quite comes together and it needs more work. A few sketches point to something verging on originality. The new cast members—four out of the six—make the strongest impressions of the night. Tom Flanigan, with his easy-going vulnerability, mines something fresh from PowerPoint and Peter Frampton. Laura Grey does an old-fashioned mime routine that it is actually quite ingenious—even when her victim, a member of the audience, doesn’t see or understand what’s being mimed, Grey remains in character and plows forward anyway with a sweetness bordering on hostility. Megan Grano does the strongest character work as a ball-busting, no-nonsense-spewing, Suze Orman-type financial adviser: “I just saved you $23 million—and a shitty relationship!” she informed someone in the front row. Veterans Amanda Blake Davis and Andy St. Clair are likable if forgettable, though St. Clair has a nice rapport with the audience as he wanders through the theater. Good thing, because it helps smooth over the numbing been-there, done-that moments. (Nina Metz)

At Second City, e.t.c., Pipers Alley, 1608 N. Wells, (312)642-8189. Open run.

RECOMMENDED

There is something to be said for a year’s experience on the Second City mainstage. Last year’s rookies, Brad Morris and Amber Ruffin, hadn’t quite staked their claim in 2007’s monster hit, “Between Barack and a Hard Place.” This time out, Ruffin is relaxed and goofy, qualities that play nicely against the brittleness of newcomers Shelly Gossman and Emily Wilson. (Gossman seems to have the most potential—a performer willing to embrace the strange if only someone would let her.) But wait until you see Morris. There is a tendency at Second City to mug through a scene; Morris is having none of that. This is not a loud or look-at-me kind of actor, and when he plays a character, it comes from somewhere in his core, veering between deadpan and a condition I would call companionable intensity. Also, he does a mean Chewbacca. Directed by Jim Carlson, the show overall is good but not exceptional. Times are tense, and so is the comedy. The presidential race is boiled down to “black, old or woman.” There is the obligatory “Hey, grandma…” sketch; could do without one of those for a while. Same with the retread Cubs material. Notably, Carlson has toned down the smug and manic edge that tends to creep into these revues when they are directed within an inch of their lives. If only every scene were executed with the same off-kilter attitude as the Jiffy Lube bit, with Morris informing each customer that a simple oil change turned up a few problems, and Ithamar Enriquez (always a welcome and mirthful presence) as the mechanic called in to explain the jargon. The rhythms of the sketch are unexpected and the performances “Office”-like in their heightened sense of reality. Morris even backs into a legitimately funny IKEA joke. If you’re gonna to do an IKEA joke, this is way to do it. (Nina Metz)

At Second City, Pipers Alley, 1608 N. Wells, (312)337-3992. Open run.

Lakeview’s nightlife scene just got that much better with the opening of the new ComedySportz Theatre, tucked away on the second floor of the old Ann Sather location. It’s a killer spot—foot-traffic galore, right near the El—and frankly, it’s nice to see something other than a restaurant or clothing boutique open on this stretch of Belmont. Inside, the revamped space has a similar setup to Second City’s main stage; a wide room with cabaret seating and wait service, and bar out in the lobby. The ceilings are high, the ductwork artfully exposed, the sight-lines tremendous. In short, it’s a whole lot nicer than anything ComedySportz has been able to offer in the past. So bring your corporate outings and bachelorette parties—everyone will be extremely comfortable and well-cared-for. What you won’t get is improv that develops characters and stories, but that has always the case with the theater games that ComedySportz specializes in (think “Whose Line is it Anyway?”). Lots of jokes, lots of short-form. Whatever the drawbacks, it’s a hugely upbeat, high-energy formula. Audience suggestions are constantly required to keep this thing moving—more than I remember from shows past, and it grows tedious as the night wears on—but the guys running this shop (managing director Greg Werstler and artistic director Matt Elwell) have cast performers who often transcend the limitations of improv-as-party-trick. The comedy hovers around a medium boil, and if the sardonic-exuberant Tara DeFrancisco happens to be on stage, all the better. And here’s something to look forward to: Later this month, ComedySportz brings back their R-rated late-night shows. Let the Hot Karling begin. (Nina Metz)

At ComedySportz Theatre, 929 W. Belmont, (773)549-8080. This production is now closed.

RECOMMENDED

Why should you see “Between Barack and a New Show,” now playing on Second City’s main stage? Because it is what is great about Second City. If you want to see how this company really works, go now. With productions taking the stage year round, the company transitions from one show to another right in front of the audience’s eyes. They phase in new material as it is written and out goes the old. It is an exciting time. Watch these comedians and writers be put through the paces of so many luminaries that have taken the stage before them. If you saw “Barack” when it was between a hard place you might recognize some of the best material still intact while the show is in limbo. The musical number “I am Socially Awkward” and the audio tour of the Art Institute are two that I was happy to see again, but some of the new material was great as well. Do not expect anything. Everything is up for elimination and your reactions help determine if it goes or stays. In a few months Second City will deliver a brand new show, but the in-between time is way more thrilling. (William Scott)

At Second City, Pipers Alley, 1608 N. Wells, (312)332-2244. This production is now closed.

“Bear Force One” has taken off at Annoyance Theatre and although the situation may be hairy, the stakes are anything but high. This spoof of the Harrison Ford thriller offers some great characters and some pretty titillating moments if you are into hairy gay men, otherwise known as a “bear,” for those of you not into homo subculture. What it does not offer is a sense of urgency that encourages the viewer to engage. Sure Catholic terrorists take the plane in order to stop the first gay president from corrupting the hearts and minds of our country, but for the most part the actors are more concerned with getting a laugh than playing the stakes for real. Tim Paul, the conceiver and head writer on this project, is a major exception. He is witty and convincing, especially when delivering his major speeches. He sincerely connects to the absurd material. There is a fine art to high camp and total commitment is essential. “Bear Force One” feels muddy and noncommittal. (William Scott)

At the Annoyance Theatre, 4840 W. Broadway, (773)561-4665. This production is now closed.

Macho Man Randy Savage and Andre the Giant do not show up in Annoyance Theatre’s “Bodyslam! The Rise and Fall of CAWC,” but their low-budget, high-camp doppelgangers do.  This often laboriously drawn-out show spoofs the world of professional wrestling as it chronicles the life-span of  the Continental-American Wrestling Confederation (CAWC, pronounced “cock”…and you will hear the joke over and over).  The cartoon-sized characters that inhabit this world go by names like The Billion Dollar Sex Addict and Miami Gold but few of the performers truly commit to the broadness the script demands.  Most of the show feels like the cast is improvising instead of bringing clean physical performances.  Jokes are delivered instead of lines.  The small-scale replica of a real wrestling ring is great, but staged matches therein start funny and become obnoxious with too much crazy and too little choreography.  This show is disappointing.  The concept is ripe for nostalgic fantasy.  Reality just is not that exciting. (William Scott)

At the Annoyance Theatre, 4840 W. Broadway, (773)567-4665. This production is now closed.

In movies and in theater, showing generally trumps telling. “Our Feature Presentation” takes the opposite tack: In order to show, first you must to tell. In other words, the cast of this completely improvised movie—performed on stage, minus any video assists—holler out scene headings (“Cut to the car’s interior”) and camera directions (“Cut to a close up,” and, invariably, “Cut back to a wide shot”) in order to convey cinematic visual cues. And so, an actor moves downstage to approximate a close up. Or the entire group shifts one-eighty to accommodate a command for reverse perspective. So what? The joke is gassed after the first time you see it. Improv shows vary drastically from one night to the next; I can only speak to the performance I saw, which was scattershot and interminable. The show does have a director (Jason Chin), but functionally it lacks a clear leader on stage to act as writer, director and editor. Linear hiccups aside, the format seemed to frustrate even the actors, many of whom offered camera directions loaded with uh’s and um’s; it is rare to hear this much stammering and clutching for ideas at an improv show. It almost doesn’t seem fair. I’ve seen many these actors perform improv, and they know how to push a scene forward without stalling—but for some reason this particular setup undercuts their natural skills and talents. (The cast includes recent “Impress These Apes” winner Kristen Studard, who is always a welcome presence on stage, even when she is visibly exasperated by the show’s internal chaos.) On Tuesdays, the show is preceded by the improv team Cook County Social Club, a male foursome worth seeing for their ease and fast-moving amiability. For all the talk of “yes, and” in improv, the members of CCSC truly accept one another’s contributions with an okey-doke enthusiasm, and they are smart enough to make even the toughest non-sequiturs work. (Nina Metz)

At iO Cabaret Theater, 3541 N. Clark, (773)880-0199. This production is now closed. 

Guys out-number gals on the improv scene, so I’m all for the show that features ladies—and just the ladies—working their improv chops. I only wish the members of Valid Hysteria had a firmer grasp on what they are trying to accomplish. Individually, the women show sparks of talent and mischief. Lauren Hearter conjures a very funny Elizabeth McGovern-like deadpan sensibility, willing to comment on the absurdity of a moment without breaking character. (When her scene partner mimed the discovery of jewelry trinket “from the 1890s!” Hearter parried in monotone, “How did you know the date?”) Mary Gardner is also quite good—she has a knack for women who stand behind sales counters and give off false cheer. Rebecca Grossman is another, able to play creepy and inappropriate, or a Liverpool greaser. But too often these performers seem isolated from one another, in different worlds. (The show is preceded by an improv set performed each week by a different guest team. Altogether the running time is just over an hour.) There is no shortage of players on stage—on the night I attended, they topped out at nine—but where’s the chemistry? No one seems to know intuitively where anyone else is going. This problem manifests itself in the opening scene, a dull choreographed bit that uses word association and robotic marching band moves. There’s got to be a smarter way to get the juices flowing. (Nina Metz)

RECOMMENDED

Chicago Underground Comedy’s Tony Sam and Nick Morgan have teamed up to present “Sam and Morgan’s Money Machine” every Wednesday this month at the Apollo. It’s an alternative comedy show that they’ve made up to look like a money-making seminar, with Sam and Morgan as money-tossing financial gurus, firing off get-rich-quick schemes backed up with improv sketches, videos and even PowerPoint presentations. And, in between, some of Chicago’s best alternative comics take the stage. This week, they’ve got the very funny Robert Buscemi, 80’s Clown (aka comedian John Leadley dressed up in a rainbow wig, clown makeup and a leather jacket) and Adam Burke. (Mike Schramm)

At the Apollo Theater, 2540 N. Lincoln, (773)935-6100. Wed 8pm. This production is now closed.