‘Last Call Cleveland Goes Hollywood’
When: 8:30 p.m. Jan. 12, 13, 19 and 20.
Where: Outcalt Theatre, 1501 Euclid Ave., Cleveland.
Tickets: $18.
Info: 866-546-1353 or PlayhouseSquare.org.
When it comes to picking out material, local sketch troupe Last Call Cleveland — Zachariah Durr, Aaron McBride, Mike Polk Jr. and Matt Zitelli — takes a simple approach.
“We go by the general rule of, if it makes us laugh it’s going into the show,” Durr said. “So that’s the guarantee: At least four people thought this was funny before you saw it.”
That’s the case for the quartet’s newest show, “Last Call Cleveland Goes Hollywood,” which takes place weekends Jan. 12 through 20 at Playhouse Square’s Outcalt Theatre. In a nutshell, the recently morally bankrupt Hollywood has run out of male stars due to the sexual-misconduct scandal.
The show’s narrative finds Last Call Cleveland receiving a grant from Hollywood to become celebrities; however, what follows is a case study on how power corrupts and money is squandered, with sketches that are all over the map.
“There will be an episode of ‘Cash Explosion,’ which is an amazing game show,” Durr said. “It relies on absolutely no strategy, and it’s pure luck. It’s been a TV show for years. They’ll just let anybody on, which we prove in the sketch.
“Also, anybody who is looking for a sexy good time, we will be playing male strippers at one point in evening. I’d say (Mayor) Frank Jackson almost always is nice enough to make an appearance on our show. If he can make it in his schedule, I think Dick Goddard will be dropping by, as well.”
Formed in 2001 as a cable-access show on the Kent State University campus, Last Call Cleveland received national attention for its “Man in the Box” web series. Then the ante was upped with the viral-sensation “Hastily Made Cleveland Tourism Video” shorts.
A Northeast Ohio native, Durr returned home five years ago from New York City, where he worked on a television show while pursuing his love of sketch comedy. Not long after seeing Last Call Cleveland’s “Michael Stanley Superstar,” he was asked to join the act.
“Sketch is my favorite kind of comedy,” Durr said. “I love doing, like, little bursts of narratives and different kinds of art forms. And these guys are honestly so genuinely nice and easy to work with, so open to ideas. They all have a very distinct voice, which helps a lot.
“I know that we’re four white guys up there who are either in or fast approaching middle age, but we each bring something individual to whatever we do. That’s why it’s so nice to work with them.”
Something that’s surprising to the members of Last Call Cleveland is that the troupe not only has lasted this long but also found an audience.
“The simple answer is, I think it’s genuinely funny,” Durr said. “The sketches have an individual tone, and I think that they have a distinctly Cleveland sensibility that people really respond to well here.”
“Also, it would strike people as distasteful if we didn’t love Cleveland. I think if you’re making fun of something, it’s coming from a place of love. It’s like ribbing your kid brother — you can do it, but nobody else can.”
‘Last Call Cleveland Goes Hollywood’
When: 8:30 p.m. Jan. 12, 13, 19 and 20.
Where: Outcalt Theatre, 1501 Euclid Ave., Cleveland.
Tickets: $18.
Info: 866-546-1353 or PlayhouseSquare.org.
Don’t miss
>> Spielberg’s ‘The Post’ a terrific journalism tale lifted by Streep, Hanks | Movie review
>> Madison’s Alex Bevan venturing to Elyria for pair of shows at Stocker Arts Center