L.A. Story

Local comedienne Inessa Frantowski is moving to Hollywood. On Friday, the Comedy Bar hosted her annual Christmas variety show/send-off party. Things didn't start so well with the show being late by about an hour. Since we were lined up in the crowded bar area outside the comedy room, people were not as forgiving as a late set from a live band. Some left and others were grumbling about how "this better be the funniest show ever". Not a great mood to create for your audience.

It was a funny show although there were a few loosy-goosy moments. Some were simply concepts that didn't work such as Henri Faberge's masked Kanye rant about Frantowski's imminent departure: "We should never have let her make the video" (in reference to her comedic role in this popular video.) Unfortunately, others were simply indulgent half-baked "let's put our friends on stage" acts. Fun in a low-key show, not so great when there were people paying $15 due to the hype from the local media.

Luckily, most of the acts were great. Maylee Todd provided some chill synth-pop. Alana Johnston and Pat Thornton gave us a couple of funny sketches. Oddly, there were 3 dance numbers including an opening "flash mob", Semi-Gold's gyration to Rasputin (Bony M), and Sarah Hillier's emotive "contemporary" number set to "Nothing Compares 2 U". Though the laughs came from the dorky, white-people-dancing moves, it actually highlighted that some of those dancers, especially the women, could actually wind their body. The audience wasn't left out though, as our "7th inning stretch" involved learning the sexy "skanky legs".

But the highlights of the night belonged to Frantowski and Buddy Cole (Scott Thompson). She made for an engaging and quick-witted MC alongside Hillier, her comedic co-host. Her alter-ego as "the best entertainer from the future" got some major laughs. As for the gay lounge lizard from Kids In The Halls, Buddy Cole delivered a gut-busting story that started with a knee fungus ailment (from kneeling in too many bath-houses) and ended up in Egypt during the recent demonstrations.