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 connoisseur, 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, ventriloquist 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.