AMY'S ENTERTAINMENT REPORT

Tony Lossano & Amy Zanglin, NBC5 Street Team (Video)

Amy from NUDE HIPPO here! Hey Chicago – This weekend is one of my favorite weekends in Chicago; it’s the 2007 Chicago Improv Festival!! This entire week there has been shows every night all over the city with guest appearances from Chicago alumni who are now on shows like Saturday Night Live and MADtv…for Friday night, out of all the shows, my personal pick is to go check out the midnight “Late Night” show at the Annoyance Theatre with Chicago’s own comic genius Susan Messing and MADtv’s Ike Barinholtz. It’s amazing to see what scenes unfold when these two improvisers get together and play. The Annoyance Theatre is located at 4840 N. Broadway, tickets are only $10!!

On Saturday my pick of the night is the two main attractions for the Improv Festival that is at Park West at 322 W. Armitage. First up is the 8pm show MADtv Writers on Hiatus. Every year for the past five years, MADtv’s writers store up their favorite censored and rejected scenes from that season and put together a one-time performance of these scenes at CIF. Since their first performance at CIF, MADtv’s producers have watched to see how these censored and rejected scenes play to live audiences. If you’re a fan of the show, you definitely don’t want to miss this. Tickets for that show are $37.50

The 10:30 show at Park West features The Upright Citiziens Brigade. This will be the first time in 6 years that all four team-mates of UCB, Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts and Matt Walsh will be performing together at the festival. Why stay home on Saturday night at 10:30, watching SNL, when you can catch Amy Poehler LIVE right here in Chicago for $25?! That’s practically the price of going to the movies these days…

The beauty of this festival and of improv in general is that everything is a one time performance; if it’s the funniest thing you’ve ever seen, live in the moment and enjoy it, because you’ll never see it again…

Now there’s obviously other events going on in the city this weekend as well.

If your stomach is cramping up from laughing you’ll be doing Friday night at the festival, you can partake in a free Yoga class on Saturday April 28th at the Alternative Health Group located at 1834 W. North Ave, they’re offering classes at 2pm and 4pm and that is in honor of Irritable Bowel Syndrome Awareness Month. (That one’s for you Damaris…hang in there girl!!)

And on Sunday the fun doesn’t have to stop; my pick for your Sunday activity is to go check out the Girlie-Q Variety Hour at HotHouse, 31 E. Balbo Dr. Local artists perform lesbian-themed striptease, dance, comedy, drag, vaudeville, magic and more in a ’60s and ’70s tribute. This monthly event is a complete *blast*!! I went last month and the entire show is just done in such a spirit of fun and silliness, it is seriously contagious and tickets are only $10. It is live theatre done in the spirit of vaudeville comedy and is a great way to end the weekend on a high note!!

Got some suggestions for next weekend!?! Send them to nudehippo@nbc5.com

Be sure to check out Our Street Team Blog!

For videos and tons of other fun things from the show, go to www.nudehippo.com.

LISTEN TO AMY ZANGLIN’S ENTERTAINMENT REPORT ON TRUE OLDIES 94.7 FM – FRIDAY MORNINGS IN THE 8 AM HOUR!

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