Friday, August 28, 2015

Catching the latest 'NewsIsh'



It's been quite a long time since I was last at Go Comedy! Improv Theater in fabulous Ferndale, but that's where I found myself last night at 9:30 awaiting the doors to open on its 10 p.m. original show, "NewsIsh."

A mix of TV satires that spoof television news shows, "NewsIsh" is anchored by Tim Kay and Jessica Loria, who catch us up on some of the latest stories covered by the country's broadcast news outlets. And as you might expect, their take on the stories isn't quite what Walter Cronkite would have delivered to his audience when he reigned at CBS News back in the 1960s.

As the show progressed, the anchors were joined by various correspondents, the highlight of which was Tippany Horowitz, played by one of the sharpest comediennes around, Suzie Jacokes. I've always been a big fan of her work - and was thrilled to appear on stage with her as one of my co-hosts of The Wilde Awards for several years - and her performance here was pure delight. (That's her in the brief video above.)

And Tommy Simon had us laughing throughout his segment during which he was advocating the legal use of pot.

Like all original comedies, however, not everything worked as well as planned, particularly the feature story that dragged and felt under-rehearsed.

Scott Myers is the director and floor manager of the show - Suzie had some great interaction with him during her segment - and the technical wizardly by Pete Jacokes (Suzie's husband) is top notch.

The show is planned to run monthly for the next month or two or three (or longer, possibly),  so if you're looking for a fun and cheap Thursday-late-night date, "NewsIsh" will keep you laughing pretty much from start to finish. (Guests, though, will vary from show to show.)

For more information about the Go Comedy! schedule, check out their website by clicking here!

2 comments:

  1. While I did not see last night's performance, I am no fan of that Loria gal. I've caught her in various performances over the years, and not once has she gotten me or my guests to crack a smile, let alone laugh. The other performers mentioned are very good, and I'd go to see this if anyone other than Loria is a host.

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    1. Hey! I am super sorry you have never cracked a smile at anything I've done - I work hard and I like to think I do all right! At any rate, I keep getting cast, so I can't be THAT bad. Your comment was really tough to read, and to be honest, it seems more like a personal attack than a critique of my ability. That said, I would love to invite you to the next NEWSish show. It'll be September 24 at 9pm. I'll even comp your ticket, so if you don't laugh, you won't have wasted any money. And hey, if you hate it, nothing changes, right? (Though I should warn you, Tim and I write a lot of bits for each other, so I hope you don't mistakenly laugh at something I write because someone else delivers it - that would be embarrassing!). The catch is, of course, I can't leave a ticket for anonymous. So you'll have to man up and give me your name. That only seems fair! I truly hope to see you at the next show!

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