May 13--"I made the decision to do comedy," naval reservist Landis Frederick says in a YouTube trailer for this show, "because I always enjoyed making people laugh, and my experiences with the military have just amplified that decision."
That's a droll line. Unfortunately there are not quite enough of them in this new sketch show written and performed by young veterans of the armed forces. Considering just how long this country has been at war in places like Iraq and Afghanistan -- and just how many men and women have served since 9/11 -- it is surprising we haven't seen more sketch or improv shows focused on this experience specifically, from the inside out.
Individually, the members of this five-person group have all studied at Second City or iO, where they likely blend in with the rest of the city's aspiring sketch and improv performers.
But this. This is something different. It's a strong concept and one that goes a long way toward de-otherizing a segment of our population who spent most of their 20s deployed overseas. A show like this cuts through the surface-level "thank you for your service" interactions that predominate with civilians (deftly addressed in one sketch) while giving a real and legitimate focus to the absurdist realities of what life is like in the military.
Now all they need to do is hunker down and get serious about the writing. Three of the five performers deliver monologues as themselves, and these give you a good idea of how they felt about their service. So why are the two others silent? The way it is now, they remain indistinct.
The sketches themselves need better structure and better jokes. The performances -- under the direction of Robert Bacon -- need to be stronger too -- it's about creating believable characters with identifiable traits. Right now, that part is a little hazy.
But there is big potential here. Jonah Saesan is the most fully realized as a performer, bringing to mind an unholy love child of John Krasinski and former Chicago improviser Jack McBrayer -- equally adept at deadpan or silly. The sketch that really stood out is one about a guy applying for medical benefits at the VA. It's one thing to know that the VA is a bureaucratic nightmare. It's quite another to see it rendered as an unwinnable video game with a series of ever more ridiculous levels.
REVIEW: "Stars Gripes"
2 STARS
Through May 30 at The Public House Theatre, 3914 N. Clark St.; tickets are $15 (free for veterans) at 800-650-6449 or http://www.pubhousetheatre.com
