“Don’t go to crazy town!” It’s one of the first things every sketch comedy student is taught – or should be. Crazy Town isn’t an actual place, of course; it’s a metaphor for a type of off-the-wall, ungrounded comedy comprised of so many weird elements that the audience isn’t sure what to laugh at and, as a result, doesn’t really laugh at all. Because sketch comedians are so afraid of traveling to Crazy Town, we often write things that stay within the lines of a parody or a character sketch or some celebrity impression. We’re tempted to stay safe within the haven of jokes that are instantly recognizable, in the warm waters of broader comedy. The thing is, when trained comedians crawl out of those waters and onto the less crawled-upon shores of offbeat absurdity, things can get really friggin’ genius. The boys at Boat Comedy (Amos Vernon, Mike Lane, Nunzio Randazzo) step outside the box time and time again, showing us all that while Crazy Town is a place to avoid, trips to Weird Town are the goddamn shit. The Usual Tornado is the latest example of that pioneer spirit.
