Just for Laughs Chicago Festival: Day 5
So, that's it. The first-ever Just for Laughs Chicago Festival wrapped up after five days, over 70 shows and over 100 comedians. On the last day of the fest, comedy fans had basically only two choices: the fourth (fourth!) performance of George Lopez or Michael Showalter at the Lakeshore Theater. Being a big fan of Showalter from The State and Wet Hot American Summer, it wasn't a tough decision for me. George Lopez it is.
What? George Lopez is sold out again? Fine. I'll settle for Showalter.
Originally advertised as a show with Showalter and Michael Ian Black (who is the better stand-up of the two, to be honest), Sunday's show became a solo show a few weeks back when Black realized the date fell on his wife's grandmother's 90th birthday. True story. So, instead of going it alone Showalter recruited comedians Owen Benjamin, Jessi Klein and Kumail Nanjiani to fill time. Ultimately, it was the right move; while fans may have been disappointed that Showalter only did about 25 minutes, he actually wasn't as funny as the comics that preceded him. Plus, I'll be happy with any opportunity to be in the same room as Jessi Klein, who proved to be the funniest of the four. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed Showalter's unique take on a live show (making alternative comedy seem positively mainstream), but often it was more interesting than funny. Read my full review of the Michael Showalter show to fully understand what it is I'm talking about.
So, that's it. It's over. All in all, I'd consider the first Just for Laughs Chicago Festival a pretty big success. I was able to take in nine shows during the festival; while that doesn't seem like a ton (considering there were over 70, I believe), it's about as many as I could have done. I suppose at the most I could have seen 10 or 11, but once or twice couldn't quite keep it up for the midnight shows. Sorry.
I did get to see a whole range of shows and comedians, from those I really loved to those I loved a lot less. I got to discover some new comedians (like Jon Lajoie and Danny Bhoy) I would have otherwise remained unaware of. I got to see some of my favorites reunite after many years. And I appreciate that the festival really did have something for everyone: people who like clean, family-friendly comedy (like "Let Freedom Hum" or "Bill Engvall: Aged and Confused") to people who like filthy, vulgar comedy ("The Nasty Show" or Lisa Lampanelli); people who like alternative comedy ("Bob and David and Friends") and people who like mainstream comedy ("George Lopez: Tall, Dark and Mexian," "Ellen's Bigger, Longer and Wider Show"). There was a sampling of club comedy, one-person shows, improv and sketch comedy and some of the best local stuff Chicago has to offer. I'm proud that such a good festival was put on in my hometown, and I hope the festival continues to return for many years. How cool if Chicago becomes home to the country's premiere comedy festival? I'd like to take credit for it, even though I have no right to.
Thanks to the nice people at Just for Laughs Chicago and TBS for allowing me to cover the festival and for granting me access to the shows. Thanks to my wife for getting the baby to bed for five straight nights while I stayed out until well past midnight sitting through comic after comic. And thanks to all of you, for reading these festival blogs. Next year, let's push for an SCTV reunion.
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