The sketchiest evening imaginable
Summer Of Tears
The rhythm of a perfectly calculated Chicago Sketchfest evening is not to be missed; it's not just about which groups are booked, but the order in which they take the stage. After eight nights of comedy, spread out over the last two weekends, here is Decider's take on the best five hours (and change) spent at Sketchfest.
Saturday, January 10
8pm, Heavyweight
While lacking a bit of the spontaneous charm of last year's affair (not to mention the broken-down Power Wheels car the group pushed around), Heavyweight's appearance brought more wonderful weirdness: Nick Vatterott's portrayal of a woman who's been pregnant for 14 months; TJ Miller's ridiculous mustache, and even more over-the-top T-shirt; thousands upon thousands of noise-making poppers thrown on the stage simultaneously.
9pm, BriTANick
This staple of the Upright Citizen's Brigade Theater in New York started with a time-traveling gag—a well-worn bit that didn't exactly inspire votes of confidence. But that meant their smart, highly enjoyable follow-through (using other actors as stand-ins for past versions of the main character, and an accompanying video timed with precision to the live dialogue) became that much more remarkable.
10pm, Summer of Tears
It wasn't hard to buy any of the strangeness this Los Angeles powerhouse served up, notably the notion that Denzel Washington is, in fact, an awkward and white Jewish man. No, the group's unwavering conviction to its silliness—not to mention incredible acting chops—made for one of the finest straight-up sketch shows in recent Sketchfest history. The non-stop between-scene dancing transitions didn't hurt matters, either.
11pm, Team Submarine
While it was sad to see master banterists Steve O'Brien and Nate Fernald leave Chicago roughly half a year ago, it's quite satisfying to witness their commendably surreal return engagement. The ensuing 45 minutes—at one point, the duo handed out odd props like a broken computer keyboard and a foldable table, only to immediately ask for them back—were a welcome trip back inside their playful minds.
The next morning…
3pm, Best Church Of God
The warning of the antichrist's impending arrival (Barack Obama); the altar girls' rap about the Bible's well-known documentation of polygamy; Brother Henry spitting up a storm during his "End Times Report," then later adding: "Uh… white power?" It feels like ages since this immaculate church spoof rang so true—which, given the show's open run ending a few months ago, is the sad reality. Here's hoping this one-off resurgence was a prophecy of much more to come.
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