Sketch Comedy Fest a sold-out success

Check out the highlights from the Shadowbox debut

By Dwayne Steward

Metromix

The Shadowbox Cabaret at Easton took a break July 21-22 to let a few up-and-coming theatre troupes take the stage during their first annual Sketch Comedy Festival.

The sold-out, two-day show was a resounding success, featuring six professional sketch comedy groups from five different states and a few new sketches from the Shadowbox team. All of the performers were at the top of their game. (Check out our preview for more information on each of the visiting groups.)

Celebrity guest judge and performer Garrett Morris ("Saturday Night Live," "Martin," "The Jamie Foxx Show") was also on hand, adding an extra dose of expertise to the festival's repertoire.

Day one of the festival featured the six troupes performing in an "American Idol"-style format, with a panel of judges commenting after each group's set. Day two was a "Best of the Fest" show that incorporated the visiting troupes and their material in the regular Shadowobox comedy/music arrangement.

For those of you who missed it or for those who just want to relive the hilarity, here's a list of highlights from each night:

Day One

"Wilhelm Scream" kicked off the night with a host of impressive sketches. The three-man team rose above falling into the typical Three Stooges line of comedy, coming out with some pretty high-class humor. Their best skit was the unconventional representation of office sexual harassment with "Teamwork," taking a friendly butt tap between friends to an entirely new level.

"The Indicators" proved to be the most polished group of the night. Taking on the more common representation of the "Saturday Night Live" style. Their best skit involved a clueless male on a average date using his GPS to help him find the ... uh, most sensitive spot on a woman.

"The Laughter League" was a definite crowd favorite. The close group of males showed a refreshing chemistry that played out perfectly in their sketches. Their best skit was about an unstable dietitian with a food addiction wigging out on one of his new clients while downing a stromboli from Sbarro.

"Cell Camp" was the only group from Chicago (home of the infamous Second City comedy school and company), thus making the expectations for their success slightly higher then the rest. And they definitely rose to the challenge, with a set of sketches that were the most sophisticated of the night. The highlight for them was a skit about the travails of a man at a fast food drive-thru that takes on the characteristics of an extremely annoying customer service operator.

 "Three Dollar Bill" showed a group that had mastered the skill of sketch comedy, getting high marks for plot trajectory. Their best skit? A friendly game of Wii between a guy an a girl that turned into a heated sexual virtual interchange.

"Feral Chihuahuas" was probably the most risqué group of the night, but taking some chances definitely paid off, as their material received some of the largest crowd reactions. Their best skit was a sketch hilariously marrying sign language with hip-hop music. It was not only top-notch entertainment but probably the best showcase of the night.

Morris' witty interplay with master-of-ceremonies and Shadowbox owner, Steve Guyer, was also a highlight, and his comments on the panel kept the night interesting. The only thing we'd suggest for next year is for Shadowbox to mic the performers. There were many times when a little amped projection would've made the listener's experience a lot easier to bear.

Day Two

Many of the sketches from the night before were reworked to fit the regular Shadowbox style, most of them changing for the better, but the decision to break up "Queefictionary" (using different celebrity re-workings of the term "queef" to make a joke) throughout the night deluded the sketch's original brilliance.

Shadowbox's decision to include a sketch or two of their own was the best move of the night. The skit "Wiz Kids" presented "The Wizard of Oz" tale as performed by a group of grade schoolers, and it was indeed the funniest moment of the show.

Jimmy Mac, playing the Scarecrow in the "Wiz Kids," was brilliant while discussing his obsession with "Spider-Man web shooters."

Morris also got in on the fun, starring alongside Katy Psenicka in "Garrett and Galinda," a garden show full of jaw-dropping double entendres.

Musically, Amy Lay shined during "Unchain My Heart." She took on the rock song with a vengeance and looked pretty fierce in her black-and-white costume.

Garrett also joined the house band for a song, belting out "Bourbon Street," which is a tune he wrote about his hometown of New Orleans that didn't get the chance to air during his time on "Saturday Night Live."