Kristen Schaal: Live at the Fillmore

Comedienne Schaal Deconstructs A Classic Comedy Concert To Rather Divisive Results
I feel it's fair to say that I'm a pretty big fan of comedienne Kristen Schaal (or as she'd say on Flight of the Conchords, her Number One fan). I think as an actress, she enlivens just about any program that she is featured on with a wild sense of unpredictability. Seriously, you're never quite sure what to expect once Schaal pops onto the scene. In that sense, maybe her twisted concert performance at San Francisco's Fillmore Theater isn't so surprising. Schaal pulls a bit of a bait and switch, though, for those expecting a traditional routine. This is not a stand-up set, per se, but a more experimental piece of theater. Schaal attempts to deconstruct the notion of a comedy concert by presenting one that descends into disaster. I'm shocked to discover that some took the exercise seriously, it is clearly scripted to be the worst stand-up set ever. Whether or not you classify the experience as entertainment, however, might be the element that is up for debate...

Hilarious!
This was hilarious, by one of the best comedians in the business today. People are stupid if they "don't get it." Kristen is a fresh comedian, and her act is much more interesting then boring whiners like Bill Burr that think they making astute observations of the world, when they are really spewing stereotypes and generalizations (e.g. "men are like this and women are like this" and misogyny) and shock value comics like Daniel Tosh. To the reviewer that said comedy is "supposed to" do a certain thing like create a response or evoke a reaction: There is no set definition of comedy! What you've listed is just part of a larger whole. This special, along with her funny performances on Flight of the Concords and 30 rock should spawn her her own show. And I'm convinced she'd get a lot more respect as a male comic, which is unfortunate because she is so brilliant.

It was Painful to watch this.
I like Kristen Schaal. Her first Comedy Central half-hour special, love her on The Daily Show. THIS show was unfunny, and painful to watch. I get that it's supposed to be that way, given that multiple tapings went the same way (according to comments by audience members). But comics are supposed to make you laugh, or make you think, or evoke some kind of reaction other than "what the hell's going on here?" If you do buy this thing, the bit where she starts going on about an "r-plane"...shut it off there. It just goes downhill from there. Plummets from a cliff, actually. You'll miss the funniest part of the show, where a little girl takes the mic for a few minutes to "show her how it's done", but it's not worth suffering through what LOOKS LIKE self-destruction.

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