Did I Really Just See That?

On this past Saturday I had the rare opportunity to see a live performance by the sketch comedy quintet The Kids in the Hall at The Riverside, their second performance in their current tour--only their second appearance in Milwaukee, and the first since 2002. I, myself, write, produce, and act in a sketch group, so its a medium of particular interest to myself. If sketch comedy is not an art, then this show would have required a new classification. It is a difficult thing to write about--good sketch is something that needs to be experienced, and I have no desire to anecdotally reflect on the funniest moments or best lines of dialogue. Even old jokes, like the video of Bruce McCulloch over-dubbed to say "Milwaukee" at the right time, carried a freshness with them born purely of sincerity.

The trap in writing sketch is soaking yourself in sarcasm. It abounds in sketch, and, without it, sketch would probably suck. Hardcore. But there is a difference in writing sarcasm and performing sarcastically. When you perform sarcastically, you appear disinterested, like you're just doing this because you have nothing else to do, like you don't really respect the audience's ability to interpret you, or any number of other bad things. Some genres might benefit from a sarcastic performance--like soap operas, for instance--but in sketch it just makes you look like an ass. The Kids in the Hall have been doing this for 24 years--22 with the current lineup--in which time they've become the most well-recognised sketch group in the world behind only Monty Python. To still play with the same enthusiasm and commitment after that long--not to mention keeping the humor fresh after they've established their own canon--is incredible.

We're lucky to have had them (though Dave Foley did express amazement to me after the show that they'll be doing a show in Green Bay [followed by shrugging and shaking of head] later in the tour), because their live performance is a very unique and worthwhile experience.