Comedy In Review - Dirtiest Sketch In LA Contest
By Rick Paulas
Over the last few months, I’ve watched Jesus stick a crucifix up his ass, saw a man spread his ass to shit on plastic already covered in someone else’s vomit, and witnessed an intricate song-and-dance date rape routine choreographed to the classic song “Baby, it’s Cold Outside”. No, this isn’t some new NSFW website to delete from the history of your parents’ computer, or add to the kids’ block list. This is live comedy done right.
For better or worse, the Dirtiest Sketch in LA Contest is a show that’s probably going to be rattling around in your head for awhile. Started in 2003 at the first Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in New York, the Dirtiest Sketch Contest found a new home in 2005 when the UCB Theater in Los Angeles first opened its doors. The contest takes place at midnight on every third Saturday and features sketches that, as the website says, are “filthy, dirty, outrageous, bizarre, surreal and crude as comically possible!”
Hosted by the constantly beer-swigging Colton Dunn and the mostly disguised Amanda Egge, the show mostly serves as an outlet for younger and lesser established comedians to turn off that ingrained censor to see how far they can take themselves. The contest accepts the first 13 sketches received, with an average of about 4-7 included in the show. As such, the quality of the sketches is mostly hit-or-miss.
Controversial comedy is a lot like horror films: When it’s done expertly, there’s no better experience. But in order to find those rare perfect gems, you have to sift through a lot of shit. And in the case of the Dirtiest Sketch Contest, the shit is literal.
Some months the pickens are slim and you’re left with a rotten potpourri of awkward moments and thrown-together punch lines. But other times, when the moon and stars are lined up just right, the sketches are so well thought-out and rehearsed that, from the depths of the dick jokes and shit stains, something bordering on brilliance will emerge.
But most importantly -- and here’s where those on tight budgets might want to listen up -- tickets for the event are only 5 bucks a piece. That’s cheaper than that open-scabbed handjob from a herpe-laden trannie prostitute you were going to get, without sacrificing any of the disgusting feeling.
Now, the show is not for everybody. If the first paragraph of this review made you wonder who’d want to witness such a spectacle, you’re not the ideal target audience.
But if those same scenarios are your idea of a fun time (pretty much any fan of Jackass), then head out to the UCB Theater. And, if you plan on sitting close, make sure to bring a poncho. Getting pieces of Gallagher’s exploding watermelon out of your clothing is nothing compared to the piss, shit, and vomit you might encounter in the front row at the Dirtiest Sketch in LA Contest.
Over the last few months, I’ve watched Jesus stick a crucifix up his ass, saw a man spread his ass to shit on plastic already covered in someone else’s vomit, and witnessed an intricate song-and-dance date rape routine choreographed to the classic song “Baby, it’s Cold Outside”. No, this isn’t some new NSFW website to delete from the history of your parents’ computer, or add to the kids’ block list. This is live comedy done right.
For better or worse, the Dirtiest Sketch in LA Contest is a show that’s probably going to be rattling around in your head for awhile. Started in 2003 at the first Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in New York, the Dirtiest Sketch Contest found a new home in 2005 when the UCB Theater in Los Angeles first opened its doors. The contest takes place at midnight on every third Saturday and features sketches that, as the website says, are “filthy, dirty, outrageous, bizarre, surreal and crude as comically possible!”
Hosted by the constantly beer-swigging Colton Dunn and the mostly disguised Amanda Egge, the show mostly serves as an outlet for younger and lesser established comedians to turn off that ingrained censor to see how far they can take themselves. The contest accepts the first 13 sketches received, with an average of about 4-7 included in the show. As such, the quality of the sketches is mostly hit-or-miss.
Controversial comedy is a lot like horror films: When it’s done expertly, there’s no better experience. But in order to find those rare perfect gems, you have to sift through a lot of shit. And in the case of the Dirtiest Sketch Contest, the shit is literal.
Some months the pickens are slim and you’re left with a rotten potpourri of awkward moments and thrown-together punch lines. But other times, when the moon and stars are lined up just right, the sketches are so well thought-out and rehearsed that, from the depths of the dick jokes and shit stains, something bordering on brilliance will emerge.
But most importantly -- and here’s where those on tight budgets might want to listen up -- tickets for the event are only 5 bucks a piece. That’s cheaper than that open-scabbed handjob from a herpe-laden trannie prostitute you were going to get, without sacrificing any of the disgusting feeling.
Now, the show is not for everybody. If the first paragraph of this review made you wonder who’d want to witness such a spectacle, you’re not the ideal target audience.
But if those same scenarios are your idea of a fun time (pretty much any fan of Jackass), then head out to the UCB Theater. And, if you plan on sitting close, make sure to bring a poncho. Getting pieces of Gallagher’s exploding watermelon out of your clothing is nothing compared to the piss, shit, and vomit you might encounter in the front row at the Dirtiest Sketch in LA Contest.
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