A modern Andy Kaufman
This will certainly appeal to the crowd who "gets it"- that is, this particular surrealist style. Kaufman was about blurring comedy by creating off and on-stage material, and Economus does the same here. In one scene, he asks the audience whether his impression is of Chewbacca or Ray Romano, and it might have seemed clearly Chewie, but he stretches the expression so it actually seems more like Romano, which was funny despite a quiet audience reaction. The humor may seem difficult and thus anticipation and an open mind is key. Also, if you thought his reading of most or all of the Dr. Seuss book was tedious, remember that Kaufmann read all of "The Great Gatsby" in one sitting. Part of his show resembles a breakdown of an appearance by Kaufman on a late night Carson show. There isnt enough of this style. Certainly recommended.

Reviewed by OV23189495 on Wednesday, Sep 8th, 2010

Convincing Meltdown
This is why I never read the Steppenwolf Playbills before the show. I want to be totally surprised by the most ordinary of things. I was not aware that the synopsis of this outstanding bit noted the breakdown of the comic midshow. This king of comedy convinced me that he had given up with this fringe business - even asking the audience that he needed to print up some new showbills. "Do the Mexicans have a Kinkos?" he asked.

Reviewed by Lancer on Monday, Sep 6th, 2010