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Comedy Tue Aug 28 2012
Comedy Seen: Snubfest at Chemically Imbalanced Comedy 8/24
Snubfest is an annual event at Chemically Imbalanced Comedy. The festival features improv teams and sketch groups that might not fit in at other, more-traditional comedy festivals. The event also had a stand-up competition.
Last Friday night -- the first of two nights -- was a lot of fun, because everyone seemed to just be doing their thing, pressure-free. During the 8 o'clock hour, two improv teams and one sketch group took to CIC's stage.
But like the old adage goes -- a picture is worth one or two laughs and at the very-least maybe good chuckle...
The first improv team Blood Dolphin was a two-person group that incorporated musical-improv into their set -- singing about a "Butter Womb" and riffing on "You Do You and I'll Do Me."
After Blood Dolphin the three-person group Pizza Party went on (pictures below!). The team had one of my favorite moments of the night with a couple's shared divorce-lawyer reading off a list of personal items while some under-the-kitchen table sex was going on (don't ask, just go check them out sometime, if you can).
The sketch-group Gandergoose (pictures below, again!) closed the 8 o'clock hour with a mix of physical comedy with some really clever scenes. Let me try to explain the picture of the two guys eating like a four tied-together candy rope (pic at the top of this post). The two ate the candy rope in a way that ended up with a Lady and the Tramp type kiss. After this impressive eating, the two pulled out and started slowly unraveling the rope with their mouths -- spit and all.
After the improv, there was a stand-up competition at 10:30. The competition hosted 12 comics, each getting to perform a five-minute set. Judges for the competition included Mark Geary of the Lincoln Lodge, Kyle Lane of The Comedy Bar Chicago, and Linda O'Connell of the Improv Comedy.
The judging was really interesting, because it was both insightful and uncomfortable. They gave helpful advice in a Simon-Cowell-type way, which is rough, but on point. Hey, sometimes the only way to learn is to get this type of feedback. Personally, I learned a lot like one of the judges said, "If you're going to tell me a story --tell me a fucking story -- not just about cornhole!" That make sense, right?
My favorite stand-ups of the night were Sonia Denis, Aaron Weaver, and Liza Tryger.
I thought they were all good performers, but I can't help it if I was feeling like a Paula that night!
If you haven't already -- go see something at CIC.
Every Friday night at 10:30pm, the theater has the ever-popular Pimprov ($15), which is about nuns -- just kidding, it is pimps doing improv! On Sundays at 8pm you can see Pudding Thank You ($10), "one of the most unheralded yet influential improv groups in Chicago" and Wednesday CIC has a free improv show at 8pm followed by an open mic at 9:30.
Full show listing here.
Photos by Justin Luety.