willhines.net

The Seattle sketch group Flaming Box of Stuff is coming the UCBT this Thursday, Friday and Saturday. If you’re a fan of sketch comedy, go see this show. I saw it in June when they performed it as part of New York Sketchfest and it blew me away. I’m likely ruining their chances of having a good show by over-hyping it, but I doubt it. I over-hyped The Swarm for years, and they seem to have survived the Will Hines Media Storm.

“So what’s the big deal about this show, Will?” You know, I’ve been wondering that myself. Not “what’s the big deal” but how to DESCRIBE what the big deal was. It’s about a group of people who work at a brewery that gets shut down. But why is it GOOD? I think it’s as simple as saying that these guys are good actors. Much of the sketch I see (and write, and perform) is hard-core premise-based stuff. This show, while a sketch show, seems theater-based and acting-based. They’re conscious of stage picture. They’re conscious of timing, of character development. Of balancing naturalistic moments (two guys chatting outside the brewery which might get closed) with absurd moments (everyone hunting for bears in synchronized movements). Iconic simple things (”this guy always has a coffee cup”) followed by subtle, realistic things (”this woman’s heart is breaking”).

Just go see it and tell me what you think.

Also coming to town this weekend is Kasper Hauser which I’ve never seen. But when I talked to some of the Flaming Box of Stuff guys after their show in June, this was the show THEY raved about. So in the same way buying “Born to Run” made me buy “Freewheeling Bob Dylan” made me buy Woody Guthrie, I will go see KH.