Photo by Joan Marcus
This festive period should be all about fun, merriment, over-indulgence and stuffing yourself with turkey! If you head down to Broadway's Lyceum Theatre this week, I can promise you much frivolity, but I'm afraid you'll have to make do with "too much tuna"... we're out of turkey! Nick Kroll & John Mulaney's Oh, Hello on Broadway is our #ShowOfTheWeek!
The story behind the creation of Kroll & Mulaney's septuagenarian alter egos of Gil Faizon and George St. Geegland is as looney as the characters themselves. The duo reportedly witnessed two elderly men wearing turtlenecks and blazers each purchasing a copy of "Never Have Your Dog Stuffed: And Other Things I've Learned" by M*A*S*H star Alan Alda at The Strand bookstore and decided to stalk them into a coffee shop for a character study session. Gil Faizon and George St. Geegland were born...
If you are already an admirer of Kroll & Mulaney's septuagenarian alter egos - either from their previous off-Broadway outing at the Cherry Lane Theatre or on Comedy Central's "Kroll Show" - then this is going to be an easy sell. If, like me, you are experiencing these outlandish Upper West Side residents for the first time, you may get a little lost along the way but are likely to enjoy the ride just as much as the aficionados. If you know theatre and you know New York, you'll appreciate the gags that are fired at a rate close to that of a mini-gun. Yes, this is could be described as a "play"... There is a "narrative" in the loosest sense of the word and Kroll & Mulaney reluctantly return to it over the course of the 90 minutes. But the real gems of the show seemingly come from moments of ad-libbing and reacting to audience members. There is also a set, littered with acquired props from the world of TV and theatre, including a stoop from "The Cosby Show" for zero dollar... Too soon?
The "Too Much Tuna" segment of the show is also a highlight, as a special guest is invited from the audience at each performance and goes on to be lovingly grilled by Gil and George. Previous guests have included Seth Meyers, Will Ferrell, Conan O'Brien, Rebel Wilson, Laura Benanti and Alan Alda, so who knows who may show up on the night you attend.
At the helm of the production is Tony nominee Alex Timbers, who has done a great job of maintaining just the right amount of sanity in the play to keep the audience enthralled before the actors spiral out of control.
Click HERE to read our interview with Alex Timbers.
2016 has been an upsetting year for many around the world. Whilst political and social unrest continue to dominate the news headlines and our lives, wouldn't it be nice to escape for 90 minutes and laugh out loud?
Click here for tickets to Oh, Hello on Broadway, which is booking through to January 22nd, 2017 at Broadway's Lyceum Theatre.
Nick Kroll (Gil Faizon) & John Mulaney (George St. Geegland) in Oh, Hello on Broadway More Production PhotosOriginally published on