Fat, Bald and Loud
Sweet on the Grassmarket
To which one might add inventive, versatile and funny.
American Craig Ricci Shaynak proves equally adept at character comedy, observation and improvisation in this unassuming but winning hour. Appearing first in the guise of a security guard outside his venue, he puts each audience member through a separate and equally funny security check. Finally allowed into the room, we get a half-hour of fresh takes on such familiar subjects as family life and school embarrassments. The fact that his parents were both chain smokers gets a running gag of its own, with the poor-me quality of such reminiscences never tipping over into bathos. For the last twenty minutes of his act Shaynak brings out the Giant Wheel of Accents, takes on some improvisation suggestions and delivers them in the voice the spinning wheel dictates. It's a clever way of demonstrating his comic versatility and builds to a satisfying climax when his final improv runs through every accent on the wheel. There's nothing cutting-edge about Shaynak's material - indeed, an American comic of fifty years ago could have done virtually the same act. But he does it well, and he is funny. Gerald Berkowitz, THE STAGE
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FAT, BALD AND LOUD
Sierra Stages, Hollywood
Warning: You may be searched at the door of Craig Ricci Shaynak’s evening of standup, particularly if you’re female. Acting as "security," ticket-taker, light and sound op, as well as host, Shaynak skillfully preps the audience to insure participation before self-effacing, fledgling standup Dirk Voetberg opens the evening. (Program notes seem to suggest that opening comics will vary weekly.) Voetberg refers often to his cue card and clumsily segues between dead-end stories and cryptic non sequiturs, but his bumbling has a certain charm and some of his material, including his impression of Jesus Christ and being starstruck by Kenny G., is very funny. As a performer Shaynak is much more assured, though he, too, relies on amusing anecdotes from everyday life to entertain. In fact, there is a refreshing lack of cynicism and combativeness in both comics’ material, with Shaynak’s strength as a humorist revealed instead through his broad range of impersonations and dialects, a display of which makes for his impressive finale. Amy Schaumburg, LA WEEKLY
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| Fat, Bald & Loud: Comedy Pick |
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