COMEDY REVIEW: Poker Night @ Shubin Theater, 10/12

Organized by PHIT's Ralph Andracchio (pictured), the premise revolved around a giggly group of gays and their snarky trophy lesbian as they "shoot the shit" around a friendly, no-frills game of poker.

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COMEDY REVIEW: Poker Night @ Shubin Theater, 10/12

POSTED: Friday, October 14, 2011, 10:30 AM

Filed Under: Comedy

Poker Night was one of many improv comedy shows in Philly Improv Theater’s (PHIT) first annual QComedy Festival, which was specifically timed to coincide with this year’s National Coming Out Week.

Organized by PHIT's Ralph Andracchio (pictured), the premise revolved around a giggly group of gays and their snarky trophy lesbian as they "shoot the shit” around a friendly, no-frills game of poker. Throw in a handful of lewd gay jokes about “smegma sculptures,” “docking” and bananas, and you’re presented with a show that is clearly not meant for the faint-of-heart or your prudish grandparents. And though the one-liners certainly got laughs from the audience, you couldn’t help but feel they were jokes you’d already heard at one point or another, or that the improv aspect of the performance felt unusually scripted.

All the same, the performers demonstrated a hilariously accurate representation of Philly’s gay culture, from the pretentious portrayal of the hairless “super twink,” to the older gay man with the “I used to be studly” attitude. The perfection of the portrayals could be seen even in details as tiny as how each group member sipped their beers, whether with dainty discretion or hard-hitting chugging. Though Poker Night was not nearly as interactive as advertised and didn’t redefine the wheel of improv comedy performance, it did prove to be an entertaining act that couldn’t help but plaster smiles throughout the audience.

For more information about the QComedy Festival, visit qcomedyfest.com.

(brandon.baker@citypaper.net) (@brotherlylover)

Photo by Nathan Irvin Photographs

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