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Comedy Culture

The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Sweater provides a mixed bag of comedy

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY SWEATER written and performed by Sharjil Rasool, Jillian Welsh, Clare McConnell, Josh Murray, Phatt Al and Natalie Metcalf (Second City). Runs to Jan 5, various days and times. $26-$36. secondcity.com. See listing. Rating: NNN

Its a clever idea to mount a seasonal show to entertain people during office parties, family outings and shopping breaks.

The Second Citys latest offering, written and performed by its touring company, could be sharper, but it still helps pass the time.

Theres certainly lots to send up, as seen during an improvised audience participation bit about whos been especially naughty in 2017 (hint: you cant go for the obvious political leader south of the border).

Another improvised sketch, involving two audience members invited to a neighbours home to share some holiday cheer, has great potential. It helps that Natalie Metcalf and Josh Murray, two of the citys quickest and most likeable improvisers, are involved in this scene, which contains a nice coda later on.

The company has fun with bizarre premises, with a cute riff on Stranger Things in one quick scene and a repeated sketch about a demonic elf that makes great use of Christian Smiths strong facial features. (Smith replaces Sharjil Rasool in the show.)

Some amusing scenes include one about a couple (Phatt Al and the charismatic, clear-voiced Jillian Welsh), whose spending on gifts suggests how committed they are to the relationship. And Murray gets to use his great deadpan mug in a sketch about how people proclaim their New Years resolutions to fish for compliments.

But the writing throughout needs major polishing. A sketch about two city workers comparing their upcoming holidays in Kingston Ontario for one (Murray), Jamaica for the other (Phatt Al) goes nowhere. A twist on The Gift Of The Magi involving two older women (Metcalf and Clare McConnell) is pointless.

The funniest sketch, one that director Karen Parker shouldnt have buried deep in the second act, is a musical number about orphaned Christmas trees. Its funny, physical, offbeat, melodic (musical director Jordan Armstrong finally gets something to do) and keeps building until a great blackout line.

More scenes like this next year, please.

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