Upright Citizens Brigade: A Fun Disaster

         There probably isn’t another place in New York City where you can see two roller-bladers in neon body suits tag team wrestle a priest and his alter boy. It might be even less likely to find another place where the crowd would cheer once the priest and alter boy have make out after defeating the skaters. This is The Upright Citizens Brigade.

         The theater opened in a different location Manhattan in 1999 when, then unknown, comedienne Amy Poehler opened a comedy theater with her troupe named Upright Citizens Brigade. Four years later, the increasingly popular community moved to their current location in Chelsea: a 150-seat soundproofed bunker underneath a grocery store, making the promise that a show would never be more than $8. The UCB has gathered a reputation as a farm league for television and film comedy, producing alumni like Tina Fey, Will Ferrell, Seth Meyers and Fred Armisen.

         Now, the theater is at the fore of renegade comedy. A night of shows might have titles like, “ASSSSCAT,” “Cool Show 4 Teen Girlz!” and “NEWSADOOZIES: A Man-Eating Musical.” The odd, wonderfully offensive humor of the UCB has gathered a cult-like following. “I don’t go to typical theaters,” said a fan named Alison. “I trust them for good content… and the price doesn’t hurt.” A couple of nights after the wrestling show, audience members waited outside for a show called, “Seven Second Delay.” People outside explained that it was a live broadcast on WFMU, an independent radio station, and many people outside said that it wasn’t the first time they had seen this show. The show is hosted by radio DJs/old farts Ken Freedman and Andy Breckman as they sardonically take the radio audience through Rock, Paper Scissors tournaments and forced crowd participation Musical Chairs.


        

          The audience looked relaxed and ready for a fun disaster as they waited. Alison said as she walked into the theater, “It’s kind of a mess, but that’s why it’s fun!”