Date: June 5, 2008
Location: Massey Hall, Toronto
There aren't many superstar comedy troupes... the Marx Brothers, Monty Python, The Kids in the Hall... erm... that's about it. Sketch comedy is, like any good comedy, an art form which it takes some pretty innovative (or demented) minds to have any lasting effect. Even then, comedy is so subjective that even great troupes like Stella, Codco or The Goons aren't as widely recognized or appreciated. Ensembles like Second City and Saturday Night Live get most of the glory, although those sketch com shows aren't built on the backs of years of refinement and touring as a collective, but assembling disparate talent to appeal to as wide a base as possible (with regularly effective results, mind you).
Comedy troupes, like rock bands, have a hard time sustaining quality and cohesiveness, leading to friction within and diminishing quality over time. Egos can build or ideologies can change, hence why most troupes, once reaching some form of success on TV tend to split up and attempt to forge out as individuals (with middling success). For Monty Python, they officially disbanded after Graham Chapman's death. For the Kids In The Hall, they officially disbanded after a huge falling out in producing their (underappreciated) 1996 film Brain Candy.
Of course the Kids have had some minor successes as individual actors/directors/writers, but overall nothing any of them has done alone has reached the heights of their sketch comedy together. They reunited in 2000 for a tour ("Same Guys, New Dresses"), re-presenting primarily their old material with some new skits, and again in 2002 with "Tour of Duty" as well as the occasional assembly for charity events. But after continued lagging careers (Kevin's primarily a voice actor, Scott's dipped into the realm of "celebrity personality", Mark does a lot of quality Canadian TV and cinema, Bruce directed some horrible hollywood films and created a failed ABC TV series, and Dave, well... he had Newsradio, but also Celebrity Poker), the Kids have reunited once again, but not to relive old glories, but to forge ahead once again, a dozen years older, and perhaps not as fresh as they once were, but with a renewed vigor to work together.
The first result is this highly successful 40-show tour of all-new material (well, mostly new), ending with the June 5th hometown show. And how did it fare? Well, I'll give a sketch-by-sketch rundown:
Location: Massey Hall, Toronto
There aren't many superstar comedy troupes... the Marx Brothers, Monty Python, The Kids in the Hall... erm... that's about it. Sketch comedy is, like any good comedy, an art form which it takes some pretty innovative (or demented) minds to have any lasting effect. Even then, comedy is so subjective that even great troupes like Stella, Codco or The Goons aren't as widely recognized or appreciated. Ensembles like Second City and Saturday Night Live get most of the glory, although those sketch com shows aren't built on the backs of years of refinement and touring as a collective, but assembling disparate talent to appeal to as wide a base as possible (with regularly effective results, mind you).
Comedy troupes, like rock bands, have a hard time sustaining quality and cohesiveness, leading to friction within and diminishing quality over time. Egos can build or ideologies can change, hence why most troupes, once reaching some form of success on TV tend to split up and attempt to forge out as individuals (with middling success). For Monty Python, they officially disbanded after Graham Chapman's death. For the Kids In The Hall, they officially disbanded after a huge falling out in producing their (underappreciated) 1996 film Brain Candy.
Of course the Kids have had some minor successes as individual actors/directors/writers, but overall nothing any of them has done alone has reached the heights of their sketch comedy together. They reunited in 2000 for a tour ("Same Guys, New Dresses"), re-presenting primarily their old material with some new skits, and again in 2002 with "Tour of Duty" as well as the occasional assembly for charity events. But after continued lagging careers (Kevin's primarily a voice actor, Scott's dipped into the realm of "celebrity personality", Mark does a lot of quality Canadian TV and cinema, Bruce directed some horrible hollywood films and created a failed ABC TV series, and Dave, well... he had Newsradio, but also Celebrity Poker), the Kids have reunited once again, but not to relive old glories, but to forge ahead once again, a dozen years older, and perhaps not as fresh as they once were, but with a renewed vigor to work together.
The first result is this highly successful 40-show tour of all-new material (well, mostly new), ending with the June 5th hometown show. And how did it fare? Well, I'll give a sketch-by-sketch rundown:
Note: these aren't the official sketch titles, just intuitively what I've called them.
Reunion/Let's Rape Kevin - the introduction, projected on a screen, showing Bruce, Dave, Kevin, Mark, and Scott in a run-down store front ("KITH headquarters") attempting to brainstorm new comedy. The result? "Let's rape Kevin!" which they almost unanimously agree is hilarious. Of course, Kevin doesn't think so and suggests the alternative of raping Bruce, which they deem bad taste. The sketch segues to the stage with the "Having an Average Weekend" theme kicking in and Kevin racing around in his underwear chased by the other four, pausing to take a bow, then chased off stage.
Hateful baby - Mark and Bruce are the respective proud daddy and mommy of a new baby, and their best friends, Dave and Kevin (in drag, and experiencing some performance-crippling laryngitis) come to visit for the first time. Bruce is his typical plucky mom and Mark follows suit. The quartet are all very punchy on stage, dancing about and having a good time with each other, which raises the energy but kills the performance (and pacing), something which occurs frequently throughout the show. The crux is, I think (couldn't tell from the back of the theatre) that the baby looks like Hitler, and Dave and Kevin, when asked to be godparents refuse, calling it a hateful baby, and coming up with any number of excuses (like being huge crackheads) why they can't be godparents. Of course, their excuses aren't actually excuses, and they're not accepted anyway. A little too intentional, but probably funnier if played straight.
Monologue - Scott resurrects Buddy Cole, once again, and proceeds to push, push, push buttons. Essentially a diatribe that "Jesus was gay", and his proof why. Again, too intentional, but Scott embodies the character well.
Two Drunks and a Time Machine - Dave and Kevin work so well together (a number of times this show) and had Kevin's voice not been so messed up, this would have been a classic Kids sketch, where, at last call, Dave explains to Kevin why he's only ordering one beer. It's the back and forth repartee between the actors that sells the sketch more than the concept.
Cathy and Kathy reunite - Kathy and Cathy (Bruce and Scott) get together at a restaurant where Kathy lets Cathy in on her diet secret (pssst. it's crystal meth). The weakest of the sketches, mostly because it's ill suited to the characters (and the second drug-referenced punchline of the show).
Kevin's Song - Kevin's "unfinished" song which he wrote to pad out the show. Only Kevin's voice won't allow him to sing it, so Dave fills in, unrehersed (probably the funnier for it, if only the Massey Hall acoustics weren't so shitty).
The Gut Spigot - Bruce and Mark as the two as-seen-on-TV style salesmen promoting their new product, the Gut Spigot. A very long diatribe about how fat Americans are (primarily from cheese, apparently), how much they hate exercise, and how much they love their gas-guzzling SUVs. Well, the two salesmen have a new product that will allow copious cheese eating to be converted into fuel. Patented Kids disgusting/funny/satirical. Sharp, but a weak close (a lot of the sketches didn't have a strong finish).
Phone Sex - Scott's drunken redneck calls a phone sex chatline and winds up talking with the Chicken Lady. Reprised from the tv show.
Modern Hero - Mark's monologue detailing a mundane scene written in a hardboiled prose. One of the Kids' quiet sketches from Season 1
Carfuckers - A production sketch with no stage presence. A woman (Kevin) enters a garage looking for her car ("how long does it take to adjust a headrest"). When the two mechanics, nervous and dim, try to tell her it's not ready, she storms into the back to find a host of mechanics...well... Absolutely classic KITH. (video a little NSFW)
Bday BJ - Husband and wife Dave and Bruce celebrate his birthday with his annual Bday BJ. By this point the show has really settled into it's natural rhythm and everyone seems to be able to maintain character well, while still enjoying the stage and experience.
I Dance Like This - A thumping beat kicks off Bruce's dance-infused monologue about the way he danced in Grades 9 through 12. Then Mark and Kevin in drag join him for another cycle, followed by Dave and Scott for another. Silly, but amusing. Totally Bruce.
Time Machine/Hitler - Dave's time machine makes its third appearance (the type of returning sketch idea that the TV show had, such as the Cops or the "It's a fact" girl). A cute (too cute?) payoff from an earlier sketch.
Gavin and the Jehovah's Witnesses - reprising a sketch from TV, Mark and Kevin, two earnest door-to-door religious types have an encounter with Bruce's Gavin.
The Professor - Scott and Dave play a recently separated gay couple since Dave's character has gone straight. They've come together for a last dinner party with Peter and the Professor (Kevin and Mark) at the Professor's opulent estate. Mark's professor is a classic Mark character, played with some indeterminate accent and bizarre wardrobe. The gist is the Professor can solve anyone's problems, and feels like a light-drama, Fantasy Island/Love Boat style. Bruce joins the act as the Professor's promiscuous, borderline retarded, Swedish chambermaid who speaks nothing but baby talk. The whole sketch ranks up there with one of the Kids' best. Ingenious from concept to conclusion.
Imaginary Girlfriend - Kevin comes to visit Dave, a bit distraught, since he thinks his imaginary girlfriend is two-timing him. Turns out she is, with Dave. A very silly concept which only gets stronger the further the two push it. Hilarious.
Superdrunk - Kevin narrates (hoarsly) the tale of a superhero (Bruce) who only has superpowers when he's drunk, and his enabling sidekick (Dave), The Bartender. They square off against common thugs (Mark) robbing old ladies (Scott) and terrorists (Mark) trying to destroy the Statue of Liberty (Scott). Another silly sketch, but fun, with some exceptionally dry performances from Mark and Scott.
Headcrusher Encore - Mark drags out the Headcrusher, probes the audience, then lines us the troupe for a hearty roasting-come-headcrushing. Brilliantly self-satirized.
The first half hour of the show, as the Kids were performing exceptionally punchy, was a rough slog... their enjoyment of each other diminishing the appeal of the sketches. As noted the acoustics in Massey were quite awful and much of the nuances of the performances were lost. But by the fifth or sixth sketch they'd quite settled into the actual comedy of the sketches (understandable as they're at the end of their tour and perhaps somewhat bored with the repetition) and the latter 2/3rds of the show comes together very well, even in spite of Kevin's uncontrollable voice (the saddest aspect, since Kevin's voice is his key comedic strength, and his current bread and butter in Hollywood as a cartoon voice actor). Most of the sketches are strong enough to be put into production (and should be, perhaps as a direct to video or 4-episode HBO special?). I'm happy that they still are able to deliver, if not above, at least at the same level as 15 years ago. They need to avoid being too cheeky about sex and drugs (they're not as taboo as they used to be, and therefore something more clever needs to be done with them if at all).
Mark McKinney's Photo Diary
KITH blog
Reunion/Let's Rape Kevin - the introduction, projected on a screen, showing Bruce, Dave, Kevin, Mark, and Scott in a run-down store front ("KITH headquarters") attempting to brainstorm new comedy. The result? "Let's rape Kevin!" which they almost unanimously agree is hilarious. Of course, Kevin doesn't think so and suggests the alternative of raping Bruce, which they deem bad taste. The sketch segues to the stage with the "Having an Average Weekend" theme kicking in and Kevin racing around in his underwear chased by the other four, pausing to take a bow, then chased off stage.
Hateful baby - Mark and Bruce are the respective proud daddy and mommy of a new baby, and their best friends, Dave and Kevin (in drag, and experiencing some performance-crippling laryngitis) come to visit for the first time. Bruce is his typical plucky mom and Mark follows suit. The quartet are all very punchy on stage, dancing about and having a good time with each other, which raises the energy but kills the performance (and pacing), something which occurs frequently throughout the show. The crux is, I think (couldn't tell from the back of the theatre) that the baby looks like Hitler, and Dave and Kevin, when asked to be godparents refuse, calling it a hateful baby, and coming up with any number of excuses (like being huge crackheads) why they can't be godparents. Of course, their excuses aren't actually excuses, and they're not accepted anyway. A little too intentional, but probably funnier if played straight.
Monologue - Scott resurrects Buddy Cole, once again, and proceeds to push, push, push buttons. Essentially a diatribe that "Jesus was gay", and his proof why. Again, too intentional, but Scott embodies the character well.
Two Drunks and a Time Machine - Dave and Kevin work so well together (a number of times this show) and had Kevin's voice not been so messed up, this would have been a classic Kids sketch, where, at last call, Dave explains to Kevin why he's only ordering one beer. It's the back and forth repartee between the actors that sells the sketch more than the concept.
Cathy and Kathy reunite - Kathy and Cathy (Bruce and Scott) get together at a restaurant where Kathy lets Cathy in on her diet secret (pssst. it's crystal meth). The weakest of the sketches, mostly because it's ill suited to the characters (and the second drug-referenced punchline of the show).
Kevin's Song - Kevin's "unfinished" song which he wrote to pad out the show. Only Kevin's voice won't allow him to sing it, so Dave fills in, unrehersed (probably the funnier for it, if only the Massey Hall acoustics weren't so shitty).
The Gut Spigot - Bruce and Mark as the two as-seen-on-TV style salesmen promoting their new product, the Gut Spigot. A very long diatribe about how fat Americans are (primarily from cheese, apparently), how much they hate exercise, and how much they love their gas-guzzling SUVs. Well, the two salesmen have a new product that will allow copious cheese eating to be converted into fuel. Patented Kids disgusting/funny/satirical. Sharp, but a weak close (a lot of the sketches didn't have a strong finish).
Phone Sex - Scott's drunken redneck calls a phone sex chatline and winds up talking with the Chicken Lady. Reprised from the tv show.
Modern Hero - Mark's monologue detailing a mundane scene written in a hardboiled prose. One of the Kids' quiet sketches from Season 1
Carfuckers - A production sketch with no stage presence. A woman (Kevin) enters a garage looking for her car ("how long does it take to adjust a headrest"). When the two mechanics, nervous and dim, try to tell her it's not ready, she storms into the back to find a host of mechanics...well... Absolutely classic KITH. (video a little NSFW)
Bday BJ - Husband and wife Dave and Bruce celebrate his birthday with his annual Bday BJ. By this point the show has really settled into it's natural rhythm and everyone seems to be able to maintain character well, while still enjoying the stage and experience.
I Dance Like This - A thumping beat kicks off Bruce's dance-infused monologue about the way he danced in Grades 9 through 12. Then Mark and Kevin in drag join him for another cycle, followed by Dave and Scott for another. Silly, but amusing. Totally Bruce.
Time Machine/Hitler - Dave's time machine makes its third appearance (the type of returning sketch idea that the TV show had, such as the Cops or the "It's a fact" girl). A cute (too cute?) payoff from an earlier sketch.
Gavin and the Jehovah's Witnesses - reprising a sketch from TV, Mark and Kevin, two earnest door-to-door religious types have an encounter with Bruce's Gavin.
The Professor - Scott and Dave play a recently separated gay couple since Dave's character has gone straight. They've come together for a last dinner party with Peter and the Professor (Kevin and Mark) at the Professor's opulent estate. Mark's professor is a classic Mark character, played with some indeterminate accent and bizarre wardrobe. The gist is the Professor can solve anyone's problems, and feels like a light-drama, Fantasy Island/Love Boat style. Bruce joins the act as the Professor's promiscuous, borderline retarded, Swedish chambermaid who speaks nothing but baby talk. The whole sketch ranks up there with one of the Kids' best. Ingenious from concept to conclusion.
Imaginary Girlfriend - Kevin comes to visit Dave, a bit distraught, since he thinks his imaginary girlfriend is two-timing him. Turns out she is, with Dave. A very silly concept which only gets stronger the further the two push it. Hilarious.
Superdrunk - Kevin narrates (hoarsly) the tale of a superhero (Bruce) who only has superpowers when he's drunk, and his enabling sidekick (Dave), The Bartender. They square off against common thugs (Mark) robbing old ladies (Scott) and terrorists (Mark) trying to destroy the Statue of Liberty (Scott). Another silly sketch, but fun, with some exceptionally dry performances from Mark and Scott.
Headcrusher Encore - Mark drags out the Headcrusher, probes the audience, then lines us the troupe for a hearty roasting-come-headcrushing. Brilliantly self-satirized.
The first half hour of the show, as the Kids were performing exceptionally punchy, was a rough slog... their enjoyment of each other diminishing the appeal of the sketches. As noted the acoustics in Massey were quite awful and much of the nuances of the performances were lost. But by the fifth or sixth sketch they'd quite settled into the actual comedy of the sketches (understandable as they're at the end of their tour and perhaps somewhat bored with the repetition) and the latter 2/3rds of the show comes together very well, even in spite of Kevin's uncontrollable voice (the saddest aspect, since Kevin's voice is his key comedic strength, and his current bread and butter in Hollywood as a cartoon voice actor). Most of the sketches are strong enough to be put into production (and should be, perhaps as a direct to video or 4-episode HBO special?). I'm happy that they still are able to deliver, if not above, at least at the same level as 15 years ago. They need to avoid being too cheeky about sex and drugs (they're not as taboo as they used to be, and therefore something more clever needs to be done with them if at all).
Mark McKinney's Photo Diary
KITH blog