By snoadmin
Memories of fan-favorites, such as “Chicken Lady” and “Gavin,” caused hoopla in my head as I was drove to The Grove of Anaheim to see the Kids in the Hall (KITH) May 8 show. The others in attendance also must have felt grateful, considering that only every few years the KITH reunite for a tour across America.
Formed in 1984 and consisting of Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney and Scott Thompson, the Canadian sketch comedy group got its very own self-titled hit TV show from 1989 to 1995 through “SNL” producer Lorne Michaels. The KITH are best known for their quirky sketches with reoccurring characters, monologues and drag costumes reminiscent of “Monty Python’s Flying Circus.”
As the lights went out around 8:45 p.m., I wondered if the KITH were going to focus on their old material or if they would bring something new to the 21st century.
The opening sketch, shown on the big screen, focused on the gang brainstorming new ideas for the 2008 tour.
“They’re going to be, you know, hitting the bong in the car before the show – really cheeching it up,” McCulloch observed.
“Remember also, a lot of our fans are desperate people and a lot of them have student loans that are dragging them down, so they’re coming to laugh,” Thompson added.
Of course, in typical KITH fashion, McKinney comes up with the absurd idea to rape McDonald. The group, then, came on stage, chasing McDonald in his underwear to the cue of the theme music.
Right off the bat, Thompson’s flamboyantly gay “Buddy Cole” monologue stirred laughs as he spoke that Jesus Christ was gay due to the fact that he was hanging around with 12 disciples and washing their feet, among other things.
The drag sketch of two conservative office women, “Cathy and Kathy,” played by McCulloch and Thompson, soon followed. Cathy tells Kathy that she’s lost weight due to a great new diet, crystal meth, and soon persuades Kathy to try some, which then leads into to a psychedelic ending.
The “Death Baby” drag sketch, where McDonald and Foley are named the godparents of McKinney and McCulloch’s baby, prove the KITH’s new material is just as funny. In the sketch, McDonald and Foley just can’t stand the sight of the baby, leading to the punch line by McCulloch, “Huh. So it’s not just us, then?”
Another great sketch was the “last call” between McDonald and Foley where they want another drink but the bar’s closing. Foley then goes into his time machine (Foley and his time machine were a random reoccurring act) to go back three minutes earlier to “last call” to order four beers.
An off-the-wall musical, consisting of all members, depicted the five grown men dancing all styles popular in eighth grade to 11th grade – extremely funny.
I was happy to see a nice balance between old fan-favorites and new material. But no matter the sketch, nothing beats seeing them live in person. The involuntary crack-ups, the improvisation when forgetting a line – it adds to the experience.
But it was the encore where, perhaps, the KITH’s most-beloved act, dating back to the original episode of their show, got the crowd on its feet: McKinney’s “I crush your head” character sketch. Holding a camera connected to the big screen, McKinney focused on an audience member and crushed his or her head on screen with his index finger and thumb. Amazingly, he did this to the entire audience, not to mention the rest of the comedy group and himself.
As the show ended at 10:15 p.m., I waited alongside other die-hard fans in the gallery for the after-show. KITH came out, signed autographs and took pictures, all the while saying “Yeah, yeah,” in a hilarious accent.
As I walked back to my car with my signed Bruce McCulloch comedy CD clenched in my arms, I had a surreal feeling as if I went to Toronto to see a live taping of their actual show – it was simply icing on the Canadian cake.
