We arrived in Oakland Saturday afternoon and walked outside to... humidity? Why didn't anyone tell me about this? I thought it was cool year-round in the Bay Area. I chalk it up to being slightly inland and figure San Francisco is better. (It is, but not by much.)
We took the universal shuttle to the universal rental car location, which seems simultaneously convenient and a bad idea. I'd reserved a mid-size SUV for the four of us (with our 8 suitcases and 3 carry-ons), but there was really only one option: the Buick Rendezvous and its enormously tall trunk. Well, if it's good enough for Tiger, it's good enough for me.
We crossed the Bay Bridge, which only took an hour, and settled into our room at the Pacific Heights Inn. There is no wow factor, or air conditioning for that matter, but there are benefits: kitchenette, free parking, continental breakfast, good location. Certain attractions -- Fisherman's Wharf, Ghirardelli Square, Lombard Street -- are theoretically walkable, but with my parents here we drove everywhere.
My sister and I headed to Union Square to find the half-price ticket booth. I wanted to see Art at the San Francisco Playhouse, but tickets were sold out. So we drove to Telegraph Hill to seek out actor/comedian Hal Sparks, performing at Cobb's Comedy Club. We shelled out $15 for parking after much fruitless street hovering. (Rates went up to $20 as we left, which acted as only a mild counteragent to my parker's remorse.)
Hmm... Hal Sparks in San Francisco. I expected a certain pro-Queer as Folk crowd to populate the audience, but I'd forgotten about articles like this, which report that straight women comprise the majority of the show's fans. (And, while I don't watch the show, apparently his character is the most accessible.) So there's a large female contingent cheering him on as he brought a great deal of energy to the stage. I perked up immediately, which was no small feat considering the trifecta that had been putting me to sleep: the travel, two-drink minimum, and dry opening acts.
In his performance, he works his petite frame into some sort of ambiguous metrosexual dynamo -- a little like Chris Kattan -- and combines physical comedy with sequences of situational jokes on an unfocused variety of topics. Having been there myself, I especially liked the comments about his childhood surroundings of Cincinnati and northern Kentucky.
We were less fortunate with the Sunday evening entertainment. The four of us bought discounted tickets to Bay Area Theatre Sports in Fort Mason. (At least parking was free.) We saw part of their Sunday Players series, "Viva Las Improv." Great, we traveled all this way for a Vegas-themed parody. Two teams of four student improvisers fumbled their way through unscripted comedy. Occasionally funny, but I think I might have been the sharpest wit in the room. (Correction: the second sharpest wit -- the musician playing the keyboard was brilliant. We clapped politely for the actors, but gave him a standing ovation.)
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5 comments:
Well, he doesn't have a whole lot of competition. Michael Ian Black? Juliette friggin' Lewis?
His standup is the same kind of wit and cattiness, only with a lot more energy. It's a great deal funnier when he gets to move around and put his whole body into it.
Hal Sparks is hot. And hey -- I like Michael Ian Black!
If you think Hal Sparks is hot, try to catch his standup act. You won't be disappointed.
I thought Michael Ian Black was okay on Ed. He was a little lame in comparison to others in Wet Hot American Summer. But sorry, he's unfunny and useless on VH1 -- you keep waiting for something witty to emerge from that deadpan face, and nothing.
Speaking of Bay Area comics, was anyone else as shocked as I was to hear that Greg Proops is straight?
Hal rocks. I loved himon talk soup. He's on my laminated list.
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