By Rikki Lee Travolta
Art can take many forms. Someone who paints beautiful pictures is assuredly considered an artist. A composer who writes brilliantly moving music is also undoubtedly accepted as a true artist. Writers the likes of William Shakespeare and Maya Angelou are celebrated the world over for their artistic contributions.
What about getting drunk on stage and making people laugh? Perhaps it’s not the traditional definition of art, but damn it, shouldn’t it still count? The people of Chicago assuredly think so – and I’m with them.
For 10 years and running strong, The Annoyance Theatre has been delighting audiences with “Hitch*Cocktails”, presented by High Stakes Productions under the vision of artistic director C.J. Tudor.
The premise is simple, the execution is not. The improvised show is part thriller and part drinking game. The afore mentioned drinking games are of the kind you might have played your freshman year in college. Some people enjoyed those drinking games so much, they never stopped. High Stakes Productions and The Annoyance Theatre have found a way to turn this into comedy platinum.
Each Friday night at 10 PM at The Annoyance, a small, seasoned troupe of Chicago’s funniest improvise a complete thriller in the vein of Alfred Hitchcock. As they do so, they drink high-octane alcohol – and then drink some more – and then even more.
At the start of the show, the audience is invited to supply the irrational fear that will be used as the premise for the evening’s thriller. We’re not talking run-of-the-mill fears like that of heights. The cast solicits the oddest, most ridiculous fear they can from the audience – then jump straight into the business of entertaining….and drinking.
Every time another cast member offers an invitation to drink, the invitee cannot turn them down. As you can imagine, by the end of the roughly 1 hour and 45-minute evening, words are slurred, logic is skewed, and the topics of sentences are forgotten midway through by the person doing the talking. And this all adds to the silly fun.
The audience-supplied irrational fear on the night of review had to do with skindogs. For those like myself who were not previously familiar with the term, skindog is slang for an uncircumcised penis (thank you Google for the definition).
The cast of “Hitch*Cocktails” probably wasn’t familiar with the term either, as that the wacky, zany, improvised show turned out to be about a dermatologist (skin doctor) and other townsfolk from Poughkeepsie searching the woods for werewolf-like creatures known as Skin Dogs. This made the whole evening even more ridiculously hilarious and fun.
The cast for the performance of “Hitch*Cocktails” with the improvised title of “Old Dog, New Skin” consisted of Maddie Murphy, Molly Jones, Edgar Nevarez, Caleb George, Peter Corey, and Jason Stockdale. The comedy bliss had tears running down my face from laughing so hard. They are comic ninjas of the highest order, two-fisted drinking and making the world laugh to the point of ecstasy.
Each Friday night show is unique. After all, it’s improv. What is consistent is that you’ll have a great time basking in the hilarity of the Hitch*Cocktails players. Several of the cast have been sacrificing their brain cells in the name of art for a full decade as founding members of the troupe. Others are newer to the group. All are funny as hell.
Each story flows with the familiar pace of an Alfred Hitchcock thriller, and includes the types of stock characters one would expect. There are clearly drawn good guys and bad guys swimming through head-spinning plot twists.
For “Old Dog, New Skin” we were treated to a mother and daughter duo on the run, looking to start a new life in out-of-the-way Poughkeepsie. Before they can get fully acclimated to the town, their lives are thrown further into disarray by an unscrupulous dermatologist with a sniveling sidekick.
And of course there is a corrupt politician behind everything. Embarrassed by his wife’s permanent slack jaw condition, the mayor seeks to take advantage of the old legends of skin dogs living in the woods to have her eliminated permanently. The innocent witnesses, then too must be eliminated.
The troupe makes use of some costumes and props. The action is further amplified in the authenticity of its parody through the use of musical accompaniment. On the night of review this was expertly provided by one of the show’s co-music directors, Matt Wolf on keyboards on cello. Wolf’s co-music director is Matthew Pollack.
Throughout the evening, there were also some great interactions with lights and sound from technical director Sam MacNerland subbing for Christian Pitsch – poking fun at the thriller genre in general and Hitchcock specifically. MacNerland and director Tuor wisely incorporate old-time car chase footage for some hysterical moments.
The audience is invited to join the cast in the quest to get sloshed, but not in an uncomfortable way. Nobody in the audience is brought on stage, nor is there ever any direction from the stage for the audience to drink. Drinking is simply an option should those in the audience feel drawn to do so. To facilitate this, there is a short intermission midway through the show for patrons to refill at the bar outside the theatre. And you are allowed to bring beverages into the theater.
However, it is not necessary to drink to enjoy the comedy stylings of “Hitch*Cocktails”. I am an alcoholic with 10 years of sobriety. At no point was I uncomfortable during the event.
“Hitch*Cocktails” is a delightful mixture of loving parody of Alfred Hitchcock and the hilarity of drunken improv. And every show is different, so you could go every week or once a month or a few times a year, and each time would be a different experience entirely.
“Hitch*Cocktails” comes with the utmost endorsement. It is a toast to fresh comedy inspired by a fermented muse.
And, remember, these are trained professionals. If you try drinking and being funny on your own, you may fail – miserably. In fact, depending on the circumstances involved and who you try to make laugh, you might just get your ass kicked.
Drunk humor can be fun and “Hitch*Cocktails” is proof positive. So make reservations and get on down to The Annoyance Theatre & Bar and giggle your way to a good time. The improv show plays every Friday at 10 PM at 851 W. Belmont in Chicago.
For those who choose to drink at the show, I say do it like a pro and have the time of your life. I simply ask that you please don’t drink and drive.
For tickets visit www.theannoyance.com.
The talented people behind “Hitch*Cocktails” at High Stakes Productions are also hirable for private events. This includes private performances of genre-based improv, and also in other business world applications.
As the former head of PR and Marketing for several major brand names, I know it can be hard to find interesting training and team motivation options. High Stakes Productions can work with you to develop things like custom training programs and management skill training seminars for your company.
Making training fun and entertaining is a great way to get employees to embrace it. Information is on the “Hitch*Cocktails” website (www.hitchcockgails.com) or you can email info@highstakesproductions.org/.
Publicity Photo Credit: Anthony Yoon
For more reviews visit: Theatre in Chicago – your source for What’s on Stage in the Chicago Area.
For 10 years and running strong, The Annoyance Theatre has been delighting audiences with “Hitch*Cocktails”, presented by High Stakes Productions under the vision of artistic director C.J. Tudor.
The premise is simple, the execution is not. The improvised show is part thriller and part drinking game. The afore mentioned drinking games are of the kind you might have played your freshman year in college. Some people enjoyed those drinking games so much, they never stopped. High Stakes Productions and The Annoyance Theatre have found a way to turn this into comedy platinum.
Each Friday night at 10 PM at The Annoyance, a small, seasoned troupe of Chicago’s funniest improvise a complete thriller in the vein of Alfred Hitchcock. As they do so, they drink high-octane alcohol – and then drink some more – and then even more.
At the start of the show, the audience is invited to supply the irrational fear that will be used as the premise for the evening’s thriller. We’re not talking run-of-the-mill fears like that of heights. The cast solicits the oddest, most ridiculous fear they can from the audience – then jump straight into the business of entertaining….and drinking.
Every time another cast member offers an invitation to drink, the invitee cannot turn them down. As you can imagine, by the end of the roughly 1 hour and 45-minute evening, words are slurred, logic is skewed, and the topics of sentences are forgotten midway through by the person doing the talking. And this all adds to the silly fun.
The audience-supplied irrational fear on the night of review had to do with skindogs. For those like myself who were not previously familiar with the term, skindog is slang for an uncircumcised penis (thank you Google for the definition).
The cast of “Hitch*Cocktails” probably wasn’t familiar with the term either, as that the wacky, zany, improvised show turned out to be about a dermatologist (skin doctor) and other townsfolk from Poughkeepsie searching the woods for werewolf-like creatures known as Skin Dogs. This made the whole evening even more ridiculously hilarious and fun.
The cast for the performance of “Hitch*Cocktails” with the improvised title of “Old Dog, New Skin” consisted of Maddie Murphy, Molly Jones, Edgar Nevarez, Caleb George, Peter Corey, and Jason Stockdale. The comedy bliss had tears running down my face from laughing so hard. They are comic ninjas of the highest order, two-fisted drinking and making the world laugh to the point of ecstasy.
Each Friday night show is unique. After all, it’s improv. What is consistent is that you’ll have a great time basking in the hilarity of the Hitch*Cocktails players. Several of the cast have been sacrificing their brain cells in the name of art for a full decade as founding members of the troupe. Others are newer to the group. All are funny as hell.
Each story flows with the familiar pace of an Alfred Hitchcock thriller, and includes the types of stock characters one would expect. There are clearly drawn good guys and bad guys swimming through head-spinning plot twists.
For “Old Dog, New Skin” we were treated to a mother and daughter duo on the run, looking to start a new life in out-of-the-way Poughkeepsie. Before they can get fully acclimated to the town, their lives are thrown further into disarray by an unscrupulous dermatologist with a sniveling sidekick.
And of course there is a corrupt politician behind everything. Embarrassed by his wife’s permanent slack jaw condition, the mayor seeks to take advantage of the old legends of skin dogs living in the woods to have her eliminated permanently. The innocent witnesses, then too must be eliminated.
The troupe makes use of some costumes and props. The action is further amplified in the authenticity of its parody through the use of musical accompaniment. On the night of review this was expertly provided by one of the show’s co-music directors, Matt Wolf on keyboards on cello. Wolf’s co-music director is Matthew Pollack.
Throughout the evening, there were also some great interactions with lights and sound from technical director Sam MacNerland subbing for Christian Pitsch – poking fun at the thriller genre in general and Hitchcock specifically. MacNerland and director Tuor wisely incorporate old-time car chase footage for some hysterical moments.
The audience is invited to join the cast in the quest to get sloshed, but not in an uncomfortable way. Nobody in the audience is brought on stage, nor is there ever any direction from the stage for the audience to drink. Drinking is simply an option should those in the audience feel drawn to do so. To facilitate this, there is a short intermission midway through the show for patrons to refill at the bar outside the theatre. And you are allowed to bring beverages into the theater.
However, it is not necessary to drink to enjoy the comedy stylings of “Hitch*Cocktails”. I am an alcoholic with 10 years of sobriety. At no point was I uncomfortable during the event.
“Hitch*Cocktails” is a delightful mixture of loving parody of Alfred Hitchcock and the hilarity of drunken improv. And every show is different, so you could go every week or once a month or a few times a year, and each time would be a different experience entirely.
“Hitch*Cocktails” comes with the utmost endorsement. It is a toast to fresh comedy inspired by a fermented muse.
And, remember, these are trained professionals. If you try drinking and being funny on your own, you may fail – miserably. In fact, depending on the circumstances involved and who you try to make laugh, you might just get your ass kicked.
Drunk humor can be fun and “Hitch*Cocktails” is proof positive. So make reservations and get on down to The Annoyance Theatre & Bar and giggle your way to a good time. The improv show plays every Friday at 10 PM at 851 W. Belmont in Chicago.
For those who choose to drink at the show, I say do it like a pro and have the time of your life. I simply ask that you please don’t drink and drive.
For tickets visit www.theannoyance.com.
The talented people behind “Hitch*Cocktails” at High Stakes Productions are also hirable for private events. This includes private performances of genre-based improv, and also in other business world applications.
As the former head of PR and Marketing for several major brand names, I know it can be hard to find interesting training and team motivation options. High Stakes Productions can work with you to develop things like custom training programs and management skill training seminars for your company.
Making training fun and entertaining is a great way to get employees to embrace it. Information is on the “Hitch*Cocktails” website (www.hitchcockgails.com) or you can email info@highstakesproductions.org/.
Publicity Photo Credit: Anthony Yoon
For more reviews visit: Theatre in Chicago – your source for What’s on Stage in the Chicago Area.
