Not much is funnier than hookers and heroin

By Hilary Rawk

It's true, and Head Cheese Fat Boss proved it at the Summer Extravalanche Spectacular on Monday, August 13th at the Apollo Theater.

The Extravalanche comedy flight offers a preview of some of the best shows in the Windy. Hosted Nick Lullo (Blu Mic), performers include Steve Mulcahy, Tony Sam, Kumail (Chicago Comedy Series), Jared Logan (Chicago Comedy Series), Rachel Lewis, Headcheese Fatboss, Flambango, Team Submarinne, and the improvised rock opera Baby Wants Candy.

I attended the show with my friend Aleah, who is a comedy connosiour, and we had a great time.

Steve Mulcahy appears wearing 1960s-style, horn-rimmed glasses and stone washed jeans pulled high. He made us smile with his uniquely awkward confidence.

When Tony Sam walks out in a Bee costume with a mini-him, vantrilloquist doll that looks identical to him, we start laughing immediately. He looks familiar, but the costume throws me off. After a minute or so, I realize he hosted the very funny Beat Kitchen Tuesday nigt stand-up series I attended earlier this month. The highlight of that show was definitely the foreign exchange students who seemed a bit baffled by American comedy, especially the part when the comedians make fun of you for being foreign, but anyway ...

Kumail, who is a bit of a celebrity in the Chicago stand-up circuit, was the person we were looking forward to seeing most. Though he was new to me, Aleah had seen him perform a few times before. He had a lot to live up to, and he did not disappoint.

Jared Logan is hilarious. In the same way that Chris Farley was funny, Jared is loud and abrasive, he laughs at his own jokes, and the irony is that you don't realize you are laughing along with him until after you've begun.

Rachel Lewis has a killer voice and the ability to change character with a quick spin and a clothing change. Her performance is dramatic and interesting, but it seemed a bit serious for a comedy series.

Headcheese Fatboss starts out as two men chatting about hookers and heroine, which was awesome, and then it evolves into a sort of strange, silent, experimental theater. The first part I loved. The second part I didn't really get.

Flambango is a bit of a bro-down. By bro-down, I mean a bunch of bro's sitting around talking about stuff boys talk about, which is cool, but not really funny. There's a girl in the group as well who sings a bit. And a special appearance by Mario of Super Mario Bros.

Team Submarine is pretty great. It's two guys just chatting about random, funny stuff. It's like being in the back seat of the car with two guys who are the kind of friends who make fun of each other and other people and life and have a great time doing it.

The highlight of the evening was, of course, headliners Baby Wants Candy. They bring new meaning to the term improv by including a full band, talented singers, and the quick wit it takes to keep up with a full, 5-or-so-minute, improvisational, rock-i-comedy musical.

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Drury Lane's “The Odd couple” A Must See

By Ken Payne

Most of us know playwright Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple from either the big screen with Walter Matthau and Jack Lemon as the quirky pair of opposite roommates or more recently (30 years ago) from the TV adaptation that starred Tony Randall as the germaphobic neat freak Felix Ungar and Jack Klugman as the slobbish sports writing Oscar Madison. However, whether you are familiar with The Odd Couple or not, the Drury Lane of Oakbrook’s stage rendition of the classic is not to be missed!

The laughs begin in a hurry from the opening scene that takes place around a poker table and the hilarity continues throughout the show’s entirety.

What happens when two long time pals, now both divorcees, move in together? Who knows? But when one is a hypochondriac that sneezes at the sight of dirt and the other is ok with a molding collection of leftovers next to his couch…let’s just say it gets quite interesting. This is the case when Oscar (Norm Boucher) takes in his best buddy Felix (Dan Rodden) after his wife boots him from the house for good.

At first it’s all roses. Felix cooks delicious meals for the two of them, somehow turns a disaster area into a pristine living space, and gives Oscar much-needed company in the large 8-room New York apartment. Sounds great for Oscar, that is until Felix drives him crazy by following the heavy cigar smoker around with an ashtray amongst other annoying over-board cleaning rituals, not to mention the strange sounds he emits due to his being allergic to just about everything.

In the meantime, the regular poker group, who at first is also sympathetic to Felix’s situation, also becomes unnerved with his exasperating antics. The “boys” consist of Murray the policeman (Dev Kennedy), Roy the accountant (Mark Czoske, Vinnie (Brooks Darrah) and Speed (David Kortemeier).

In his Drury Lane Oakbrook debut, Norm Boucher does a tremendous job as Oscar and is worth seeing in his own right. From his facial expressions to his body language, Norm IS Oscar. His opposite, Dan Rodden, is a very funny Felix, getting the opportunity to showcase his wide range of talent, which consists of physical humor and timely line delivery.

Of course we can’t have The Odd Couple without Oscar and Felix’ upstairs neighbors, the Pigeon sisters marvelously played by Elizabeth Ledo and Carrie Lee Patterson.

As good as the Boucher and Rodden were as the main characters, I really enjoyed the chemistry of the regular poker group. Their back and forth banter along with their conclusions and mis-conclusions was entertaining and laugh out loud funny.

The bottom line is a masterfully written script wonderfully acted out. The Odd Couple runs through October 7th.

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