San Francisco’s Sketchfest is back.
SF Sketchfest features stand-up, improv and tributes to TV shows and movies
From the West Coast premiere the Broadway hip-hop hit “Freestyle Love Supreme” to a tribute to one of the original boy bands — the Mon- kees — this year’s installment of SF Sketchfest, the annual, wide-rang- ing comedy and improv festival can tout its most eclectic lineup yet. And that’s saying a lot. Sketchfest has often boasted a diversity of (mostly) comedic art- ists in its 19 years as a perfor- mance gathering. The once modest program of six sketch comedy troupes has morphed into an 18- day pop culture summit, showcas- ing a smartly curated mix of 250 acts that range from movie legends to podcasting upstarts, from children’s enter- tainment to experimental music. While the programming often caters to the pas- sions of Sketchfest’s three festival off directorsfounders, it has never taken its eye off the funny ball. Kicking off with the premiere of the gloriously off-kilter Net- flix comedy series “Medical Police” tonight, this year’s event re- ally speaks to the growth and breadth of Sketchfest. It offers something for seemingly everyone, from fans of mainstream stand-up comedy to those who delight in twitchier, more unsettling shows. Each year, Sketchfest features assorted tributes
and this year’s bundle reflects the scope and diversity that the event is known for. “We never really have a theme for Sketchfest, but when you come out of the other end and look at the lineup, we have a record number of tributes: 12,” said Sketchfest co-founder David Owen. “That’s 11 individuals and the Monkees. It’s exciting for us, that such a diverse group of people said yes to us and wanted to come.” Along with a tribute to the Monkees, featuring original members Michael Nesmith and Micky Dolenz, the festival also pays homage to: • “2 Dope Queens” co-creator and co-star Phoebe Robinson. • Stand-up icon Brian Regan. • Former “Saturday Night Live” star Molly Shannon, interviewed by her “Superstar” director, former Kids in the Hall stalwart Bruce McCulloch. • Comedy legend Robert Klein, interviewed by Ben Fong-Torres. • Performer Sandra Bernhard, in conversation with Peaches Christ. • Comic George Wallace, taking questions from Patton Oswalt. Also on the schedule are affectionate nods to actress Busy Philipps; comedian and former “SNL” cast member Kevin Nealon; actor and filmmaker Crispin Hellion Glover; and longtime Sketchfest regular, comedian Eugene Mirman. In many ways, the most meaningful homage on this year’s Sketchfest schedule might be Saturday’s tribute to “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” star Tony Shalhoub. He’ll be in conversation with Kevin Pollak, the San Jose native and Pioneer High School graduate who over the years has become Sketchfest’s not-so-secret weapon. Shalhoub will also be the focal point of a 20-year-anniversary look at the film comedy “Galaxy Quest,” which featured the actor as a cast member of a long-canceled sci-fi series. The actor has compiled the kind of varied career that Sketchfest loves to spotlight, and it doesn’t hurt that he has won Emmy Awards for playing both the obsessive-compulsive title character in “Monk” and as the mathematician-turned-beatnik-wannabe Abe Weissman in Amazon Prime’s “Mrs. Maisel.” Pollak, who plays Weissman’s semi-foil Moishe Maisel in “Mrs. Maisel,” has became friends with Shalhoub working on the series. Pollak, like Shalhoub, carved out a career as a noted character actor, with film credits including “A Few Good Men,” “The Usual Suspects” and “Casino.” Cutting his performance teeth with the likes of Robin Williams and Dana Carvey in the San Francisco stand-up scene in the late-’70s, Pollak is one of those versatile performers loved and admired by Sketchfest’s festival directors. Besides his acting credits, he performs in the all-improvised comedy podcast “Alchemy This,” which often features Sketchfest festival director Cole Stratton as a co-host. He has also developed serious interviewing chops hosting more than 400 episodes of his award-winning, now-retired podcast “Kevin Pollak’s Chat Show.” Pollak has long been a huge supporter of Sketchfest, as a performer and interviewer as well as his behind-the-scenes efforts in helping the festival bring in the likes of Ricky Gervais, Bill Burr and Christopher Guest. He’s on the advisory board and his involvement in this year’s roundup, especially the interview with Shalhoub, further fortifies his connection to Sketchfest. “I landed that fish!” says Pollak, who introduced and talked his “Mrs. Maisel” co-star to join this year’s Sketchfest lineup. The festival has also been good to Pollak. When he moderated a panel on the animated series “King of the Hill,” he struck up a friendship with cast member Pamela Adlon, who remembered and later cast Pollak as her character’s brother for season 2 of her FX series “Better Things.” As character actors, Shalhoub and Pollak are charter members of a small yet recognizable group — and they often have been up for the same part. In fact, Pollak was first offered the role of the quirky sleuth depicted in “Monk,” but turned it down, as “I couldn’t figure out how to do the character because he seemed like Felix Unger to me,” he says, referring to the neatnik from the Neil Simon play “The Odd Couple. “It wasn’t a character I wanted to play for six years. On the page, he was just annoying and finicky.” Shalhoub took the job and flourished, winning three Emmy Awards for best actor in a comedy series. The Pollak-Shalhoub interview should prove a popular event, as should the tribute to “Galaxy Quest,” the 1999 comedy (also starring Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver and Alan Rickman) that earned $90 million worldwide and has maintained a steady devotion among fans. The fest is going even further back to honor the 45th anniversary of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” with a special screening featuring original cast members Barry Bostwick, Nell Campbell and Patricia Quinn. Also planned: a 20th-anniversary table read with the cast of “SpongeBob SquarePants.” “All of these events are marking us as getting older,” says festival director Janet Varney, “which is a positive thing. We’ve been able to bring in a bunch of our heroes!” Which also works out well for comedy fans — and almost every stripe of pop culture aficionado, says Pollak. “I’ve always wanted to be a part of this festival,” he says. “What they’re doing is magical.”