Time Is Unkind

Having enjoyed the 2004-2008 Sketchersons, I returned Friday night for the 2007-2009 anniversary show. There were a few differences. Though the first show was well attended, this one was sold out. Only a few alumni such as Pat Thornton was at both shows, though no doubt the transition wasn't as abrupt in real life. This had more pizzazz (celebrity hosts!) but like the SNL on TV, both casts and material were weaker than before. Even the house band tonight was less cohesive than the previous group.

The newer troupe hewed more closely to the SNL model including having a celebrity guest and even a news desk segment. But similar to its TV inspiration, it was a more disappointing incarnation from its heyday. Once you get past the "starstruck" reaction ("Ooh, George Stroumboulopolos and Ben Mulroney are trash talking each other"), it was an average show without any of the giddy heights of the previous night.

The sketches mostly suffered from "one-note gag"-itis. Once the premise is introduced (a woman and her giant-sized child, a dance with "gender-swapped" roles where the men talk about feelings and the women just want to bone, a radio chat show in which every relationship advice is an inane pop song), the same jokes and its variation are repeated ad nauseum. It may seem odd, but the old sketches had real "characters" and not just set-up and punch-lines. A running theme of "effeminate men are funny" (in sexy costumes, acting "gay" such as strutting or kissing, etc.) was problematic. There were few endings that really brought the skits to satisfying ends.

As I left, someone remarked: "It was funny but it wasn't hilarious." I then recalled that I first saw them in 2009 in a show or two. Back then, I had the same tepid reaction. No wonder I didn't follow them much after a few outings. So I was glad to see the original Sketchersons on Thursday and wished tonight's crowd could have been there, too. Their excited buzz would have been amply rewarded.