Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
FrankenMatt's 'American Imperil' Dooms America to Laughter
Photo courtesy FrankenMatt.
()
What do you do when you just can’t stand the world around you anymore? When the politics of today seem to be dimming the lights on your once-bright future, and the only people who even deign to notice are the smirking corporations? If you’re Second City duo FrankenMatt, you put up a comedy show.
Running the frustration gamut from Chik-Fil-A hypocrisy to the bald-faced arrogance of campaigning politicians, Matt Craig and Frank Caeti’s new show "American Imperil" seeks to teach as much as offer laughs. Sure, there’s the silly reemergence of longtime FrankenMatt sketch character Charlemagne Leroy, an egg-shaped stuffed doll who never answers for himself on the serious crimes shouted against him. But, not two minutes later, there’s a biting moment between a couple of Southern-fried Republicans in a hot tub, expounding on gay marriage while trying to hold back their own passions.
If you’ve seen a FrankenMatt show before (and you should, they’re absolute Second City LA staples), you know that their work is always a twist of life. Sometimes absurd but often as simple as mishearing lyrics to a song on the radio, they are at their best when the trenchcoat of fourth-wall theatre is cracked open slightly, revealing two kids on each others’ shoulders, pretending along and giggling away. "American Imperil" finds these moments often, infusing the show (as always) with interstitial dance numbers and an honest sense of fun.
The ultimate balancing act in this show, between the just-two-friends-on-a-road-trip moments and those occasions where the political heat becomes oppressive, is a tough one. And often, it doesn’t tilt in the favor of unbridled comedy, but that’s largely not FrankenMatt’s point. "American Imperil" is splashed in hefty spoonfuls from a cauldron of fear, annoyance, dismay, and the sort of anger at apathy that plagues anyone removed from a younger generation. There are entire sketches that push this toxic broth, showing us all with little fanfare the danger of our choices.
Support for LAist comes from
The result is a show on a leash that can’t determine how far to run in either direction. If FrankenMatt are at their best when the collar snaps and the slobbering bulldog takes down a dinner party by the tablecloth, "American Imperil" is at times the hyperactive mutt that doesn’t know which direction to turn, so it runs itself in circles.
There’s a reason the show hits those serious moments of political ineptitude, and it would be a mistake to not acknowledge that obvious fact. The show is called "American Imperil," after all. But by reigning in the type of comedy we’ve come to love from FrankenMatt, and rounding out some of the moments of true candor, what’s left is a show that satiates, but doesn’t truly satisfy. There are big laughs and a few moments that may leave you spilling your soda, but don’t be surprised if "American Imperil" doesn’t altogether make for a meal of a show.
FrankenMatt: American Imperil
Fridays @ 8pm through April 27th
Second City Hollywood
6560 Hollywood Blvd.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity. -
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
-
The drug dealer, the last of five defendants to plead guilty to federal charges linked to the 'Friends' actor’s death, will face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
-
The weather’s been a little different lately, with humidity, isolated rain and wind gusts throughout much of Southern California. What’s causing the late-summer bout of gray?
Best of LAist