June 17, 2009/Lakeshore Theater
Robert Smigel and Dino Stamatopoulos took the stage at Chicago's Lakeshore Theater to present what they called the 'dress rehearsal' of "The Unaired Bozo Circus Parody: The Original TV Funhouse Pilot," part of the 2009 Just for Laughs Chicago Festival. And, while far from a 'dress rehearsal,' the performance wasn't without its share of speed bumps. For one, it didn't appear that Smigel and Stamatopoulos had really prepared anything to say or even a structure for the show; they pretty much winged it the whole time. The performance was also plagued by technical gaffes, including video issues and more than once had jokes ruined by video being presented too early. Though Smigel was clearly frustrated at some of these mistakes, they also provided for some of the biggest laughs of the night.
The main set piece of the performance -- the evening's raison d'etre -- was a video of the original TV Funhouse pilot, which was created for FOX but never aired. It was an incredibly funny, incredibly accurate parody of the original '70s Chicago-based kids' show Bozo's Circus, with Smigel as the seemingly drunk "Prozo" and Stamatopoulos as the magician/clown "Wizzy." Smigel's impression of original Bozo was dead-on, as was the look and feel of the show. The format was twisted just enough to make it twisted, including a parody of Middle East peace talks that devolve into a pie fight and a visit from "Furball the Cat," a puppet (performed by Stephen Colbert) who does nothing but lick himself. My favorite moment of the show came when "Prozo" ushered all the children out of the room to show a grown-up cartoon (one of Smigel's great "Ambiguously Gay Duo" pieces). It's understandable why this incarnation of TV Funhouse was never picked up, but I can't say that I'm not disappointed. It was incredibly funny, while still a loving tribute to the old Bozo show.
Additonally, Smigel presented a few TV Funhouse bits that either never aired or were taken off the air after running on SNL one time: a Michael Jackson cartoon ("This one's just dirty," is how Smigel introduced it), a Schoolhouse Rock! parody presenting conspiracy theories about GE and NBC and a few others. They were all funny, and Smigel gave each a little back story that was always thoughtful and me me realize (even more) just how clever and creative a comedian he is.
The live segments between the videos were a lot looser and a little more uneven. Stamatopoulos, a former writer for The Ben Stiller Show and Mr. Show with Bob and David and a Chicago native, repeatedly informed the audience that he was drunk, which may have explained his pseudo-belligerence. Smigel did his best to keep things on track, but you could feel the pair fumbling a bit. Not that they seemed to mind -- the casualness of it all seemed part of the point. There was a kind-of haphazard, informal Q&A, wherein Stamatopoulos both hinted at the possibility of another Bozo parody making its way onto Cartoon Network and made a joke about asking out an audience member he believed to be a woman but was soon revealed to be a young man. It was a huge, unrehearsed moment; you can't write stuff like this.
Smigel donned his famous Triumph the Insult Comic Dog puppet for the finale, and here actually had a number of prepared jokes. It was fascinating to see how he came to life in a way he hadn't on stage (earlier, he freely admitted that he was willing to do anything where he wasn't really seen -- hence his decision to play Prozo behind layers of clown makeup). The Triumph stuff killed as it always does, as the cigar-smoking pup took shots at Carlos Mencia, John Mayer and Oprah. It speaks to how good a guy Smigel is that he was willing to prepare material for Triumph, rather than just trotting him out angrily like a band that resents having to play their hit song.
"The Unaired Bozo Circus Parody" was an uneven live show, but a worthwhile one. It's rare to have two behind-the-scenes comedians step out front and talk about their work, and provided an opportunity to see something really funny that I wouldn't have seen otherwise. It helps that I'm such a Smigel and Stamatopoulos fanboy, I'm sure, but it was a good show...for me to poop on.
Grade: B
