DIE ACTOR DIE

I first saw The Kids in the Hall in 1988 at this girl Kathleen’s house; it was their first hour-long HBO special, I was 17. They were young, talented, bizarre and very, very funny.

It is twenty years later, I just saw The Kids in the Hall live at the Keswick Theater with that same girl Kathleen, now my wife, and they are still as talented, bizarre and very, very funny.

Not so young anymore.

Anytime you see personal icons, there is always the potential for being let down, or seeing them in an off show (e.g. Mr. Show at The TLA back in 2005). Not here. The Kids were in top form doing (mostly) new material and having a great time doing it.

The program reads:

Live As We’ll Ever Be, represents a new era in the troupe’s collaboration, and is comprised of completely fresh material which simultaneously reflects who they are now and their patently off-kilter take on ordinary life.

It’s a great primer for the show. I don’t want to give anything away for anyone who may still see the show, but the Kids cover everything men their age deal with: Babies, Death, Weight Gain, Sex, Homosexuality (natch) and Religion.

Man do they have a hard-on for religion…and not in a good way.

The thing that really struck me was how much fun they were having (especially Bruce who was energetic, goofy - but never distracting), there was more than one “break” on stage (usually from Kevin), but not in an obnoxious Jimmy Fallon-esque way, more in the having a good time and enjoying the work of their fellow performers-esque way.

Another highlight for me was their mise-en-scene (sorry to sound so pretentious and douchey but it’s the best way to say it). They kept everything minimal, unless seeing the prop was part of the joke, their interstitial music was high-energy and fun and their video work was top notch (It should be no surprise that Car Fuckers is in the show and Let’s Rape Kevin is the opening bit, which is still funny after seeing it three times online). They used a number of photo-shopped images as transition pieces to great affect that were reminiscent of the Kids TV show aesthetic. Expect to see a number of Philly sketch groups riff off this concept in upcoming shows.

And that’s a good thing. Apart from some breaking on stage and a few ad libs, the Kids are pros and put on a tight, well-rehearsed show. Some say sketch should be loose, but I disagree, sketch should be tight, precise. Once you have your shit down, you can play in your environment. Last night proved that.

Afterwards, the Kids came out to sign autographs and take pictures with their fans, as they always do. This is always an awkward time for me. Meeting a personal hero, someone you’ve grown up watching on TV is an intimidating thing for me. When I met Patton Oswalt and the CoC last October, I was a fucking retard, I was tripping over my words, feeling self-conscious. It sucked.

So last night when I felt that “awkwardness” coming on, I decided to just say what I felt. I realized I am not here to make friends and impress them, I am here to meet and say thank you. So that’s what I did. Shaking their hands, I told each of the Kids the following:

“I have been a fan for a long time and I just wanted to say thank you for the years of entertainment.”

A bit sappy, maybe (I actually welled up when I first said it to Scott - what the hell was that?). But it was how I felt and I meant it. I may be 20 years older but seeing the Kids made me feel like a kid again.

Also: Check out Meg of Meg and Rob’s KITH Recap over at Comic vs. Audience.

Also: Check out photos over at Philebrity.

Related Posts:

The Kids in the Hall - Together Again

Kids in the Hall - Reunion Show Footage

The Kids in the Hall - Tour Promo Video