TCB Debriefing 4/20-4/25/24: Kate Willett, Cole Escola, Chris Gethard/Eddie Pepitone, Cora Bora, Roots of Comedy, DINKS, Robot Dreams, Clue, Hyperobject, Flipside, 9 to 5, Free Ben Schwartz Tix
1. Many a comedian has excavated their sexual history and proclivities for comedic material, but more often than not just for the spectacle of it and nothing else. There is nuance and finesse to being frank and completely and unforgivingly honest on a comedy stage, especially when it comes to about sex and relationships and one Kate Willett puts on one hell of a show doing just that. Her new hour special, Loopholes, is stellar display of dissecting what might be one of the most trodden upon topics in stand-up comedy, but, of course, done by a very thoughtful, crafty, and forward thinking Willett. Credit to her for infusing plenty of socialist, leftist twists throughout the hour as well. The phrase the “glass gutter” is still, in our minds, a sort of trailblazing sentiment put forth by Willett in a previous album and Loopholes offers a very enjoyable, very accessible look into vast swaths of spectrums that exists between dating and politics, even just on the left side of things.
Please enjoy Loopholes, now streaming on Apple TV+ and Amazon Prime.
2. Exquisite alt/indie/queer comedy is going Broadway, everyone. Cole Escola‘s play centered on Mary Todd Lincoln, “Oh, Mary!” is going to play at the Lyceum Theater this Summer and hopefully this will shake up Broadway forever (Variety).
3. Chris Gethard and Eddie Pepitone are going on tour. That’s pretty much all that needs to be said. Oh yeah, go get tix at chrisgeth.com.
4. After years and years AND YEARS of scene stealing in pretty much everything she’s in, Meg Stalter (finally) is getting top billing with the indie comedy, Cora Bora, where Meg pretty much plays herself (a blessing for us all). Get your first look at Cora Bora with the official trailer here, then look for it in theaters on Jun. 14th.
5. PBS SoCal has tapped Jesus Trejo and a wondrous, diverse collection of stand-up comedians from around the country to explore the actual stories, “roots” if you will, behind the actual jokes that they tell on stage. Take a gander at the trailer for Roots of Comedy here
6. Paul Scheer and June Diane Raphael are finally getting back to some of their improv roots with the new Marta Kauffman series DINKS (short for Dual Income No Kids) as it will be an improvisational multi-cam (Deadline). Perhaps, Scheer and Raphael getting to be a little Curb-esque might be the key to doing multi-cam in 2024?
7. The Creator and the upcoming J. Lo vehicle, Atlas, seemingly take an apologist view on A.I., but in the most maudlin way possible. Robot Dreams from Pablo Berger takes a much more whimsical route with a dog and robot becoming his new best friend (and got an Oscar nod to boot) that seems much more akin to Brian and Charles. Take a gander with the official trailer for Robot Dreams here, then look for it in theaters on May 31st.
8. A reimagining of Clue might be coming to a screen near you (yet again) as Sony and Hasbro have shaken hands to develop a project around the storied board game (Variety). The arms race between studios for toy based IP is well under way, in case you didn’t know, thanks to LEGO Movie and Barbie.
9. Adam McKay is getting into the podcast game with the likes of Connor Ratliff, James III, and Allan McLeod (Deadline). While less caustic and biting than Don’t Look Up, these Hyperobject Industries podcasts have an underlying missive about shaping cities and challenging corporate structures on top of talking about “Tiny Dinos”. Perhaps, it’s the next wave of edutainment.
10. Documentaries are getting meta/comedically self-reflexive and we’re into it. Check the trailer for Chris Wilcha’s Flipside coming soon from Oscilloscope Laboratories.
11. The seminal 80s comedy 9 to 5 is getting a reboot courtesy of Jennifer Aniston and Diablo Cody (Deadline). Since Cowboy Carter has a Dolly Parton cover on it, will Beyonce do a cover of the iconic theme? Kind of just makes sense.
12.We’ll leave you with this: Ben Schwartz is returning to The Orpheum Theater in LA on Sat. Oct. 5th (tix avail now) and your favorite Bureau might have some tickets if you want them. E-mail us at thecomedybureau@gmail.com to find out.