Sketchy Event Horizon

By Jeff Kreisler on 05/05/2009

So as we ramp up to speed, here are some fairly significant sketch comedy dates in the next few months. Tell me what I've missed, and answer some questions below...

May 16: The Last Episode of MadTV ever.
After 14 years on the air (seriously? 14?) MadTV promises a very special finale (it's May sweeps after all). The show had some brilliant moments, and it developed some talented players (though I dare you to name 3 without using the internet), but it never really "popped" like, say, In Living Color. Then again, it lasted 14 years and produced quality on par with Saturday Night Live even without the star power.
Q: What do you think makes a good sketch TV show? Did you ever watch MadTV?

June 11-13: SketchfestNYC09.
A fantastically awesome lineup of sketch acts from around the globe descend on the UCB Theater in New York (we'll hear plenty more about them). The lineups are all set here. I'll be dropping in and providing some tidbits. (FWIW, as of today's blog, I think SketchfestNYC and the San Francisco Sketchfest are the two best sketch fests out there. I'd love to find out I'm wrong).
Q: Have you ever been to a comedy festival, sketch or other?

June 16-21, July 16-26: The Just For Laughs comedy festival(s)...
... overwhelm Toronto, Montreal, and Chicago. Thought not generally sketch-oriented, the recent passing of the HBO/Aspen Festival makes Just For Laughs (aka The Montreal Comedy Festival) the leading comedy industry festival in the world. (Yeah, I hear ya Rooftop & New York & Vegas, cool yer jets). But now it's spreading geographically.
Q: Is this a wise tactically decision, or the roar of the last great lion of a fading era of comedy?

August 7-31. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
The biggest arts festival in the world has a healthy serving of sketch (whether you call 'em "sketch comedy" or not, acts like The Flight of The Conchords and Kristen Schaal have honed their craft and plied their wares there). I'll be - cough, cough - performing there every day and reporting in on the worldwide evolution of sketch.
Q: Did you know haggis really isn't that bad?

Oct 4-10. IFC presents "Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyer's Cut)."
It's a six-part retrospective featuring interviews, archived footage, special guests, and more.
Q: OMG OMG OMG. Don't you totes hope there's a "Ministry of Silly Walks" re-enactment? (Please, no broken hips).

p.s. My IFC email's not quite running smoothly yet. I'll get to your messages soon.