It’s like déjà vu. Again we found ourselves at The Mainline Theatre for another OFF-JFL show. Tonight we were lucky enough to see Paul F Tompkins & Friends Real and Imagined.
The show opened up with a refreshing set by host Tompkins. It was funny and had the feel of a southern gentleman entertaining us with anecdotes. His set took the common comic theme of being newly married and gave it a new approach, which was both original and funny.
The first comedian up was Demi Lardner, an Australian comic whose style resembled Mitch Hedberg’s witty remarks. Her set was quick, and fun. The crowd responded well.
After Demi’s set, the host returned, this time decked out in a cape and crown and introduced as Andrew Lloyd Webber. He told us about the highs and lows of musicals. The crowd reacted well to this set but it could have benefited from being a little bit shorter and concise. Dressing up in royal garb and emitting the royalty sometimes associated with Webber is not the most original angle, and this hurt the overall feel of the set.
The next comedian up was Mark Forward. Although I felt Mark’s set was unimpressive and lacked a unifying theme, the crowd enjoyed it. Personally thought the jokes about generation bashing were overused and dry. This lack of originality made the set feel long and slow paced.
Mark made his finally appearance as a unique character, a parody of TLC’s The Cake Boss, but this one had the power to read minds. The bit had originality and showed off some impressive imporv skill when he called on the crowd to ask him about their future.
Overall Paul F Tompkins & Friends Real and Imagined was a good show. Though there were low points, the comics always found a way to kept the show heading in the right direction.
Paul F Tompkins & Friends Real and Imagined runs until July 26th,. tickets available through hahaha.com
* photos by Chris Zacchia
