Let Your ASSSSCAT Shine at UCBT

Most people probably don't know who Jack McBrayer is but those of you into "indie" would probably recognize him. If you were obsessed with Arrested Development like myself then you'll recognize him as the polite waiter from the country club. In the second season he denied Michael his credit card after George Sr. bought a hottub and in the third season he worked with G.O.B. when he accidentally worked a day in his life. Some of you who had the money or access to see Will Ferrell's movie about race car driving this summer may remember him too, but I didn't see that movie so I can't tell you what he did. Now you can catch him every week on NBC's 30 Rock. He plays Kenneth the Page. Or if you are lucky enough to venture down to West 26th and 8th every Sunday night you'll catch him at Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre.

At this weeks ASSSSCAT, the weekly fully improvised feature show, the audience was treated with Matt Walsh as the only member of the UCB. McBrayer joined Walsh to great the crowd and really seemed to steal the show. The cast this week was small which lends itself to more stagetime for each performer and I believe easier and better full group scenes. Chris Gethard did most of the monologues along with, forgive me for not remembering his name, but the sort-of fat guy from the writers room in 30 Rock, somthing Lutz I think. Gethard is a genius in the art of telling stories and doing improv with the most miniscule details as possible. One second he'll be referencing how to polybag comic books and the next he'll be handing his stage son a Stauffer's french bread pizza and yoo-hoo in a box.

For the 7:30 show the 5 man cast constructed some fun games around Gethard's monologue about his girlfriends family and then Lutz's monologue about pets. I laughed a lot, but the 9:30 show is where everyone really shined. McBrayer got pulled over for eating and driving and continued to eat his toffee car as the cops argued over littering food in the street. The second show had Rob Huebel too which was definitely a bonus. He took the authority figure possition in a bunch of scenes including, "Anything can be used as a weapon" classes. The edits were quick but all the jokes reached a climax and the guys(there were no girls) knew what they were doing. Every sunday night I can think of nothing better to do with $8.90 than spending it at UCB theater laughing my ass off and having the time of my life.