All About Walken
With most sketch comedy and all improv, a little goes a long way. Both forms of entertainment require a solid hook in order for me to tolerate more than twenty minutes of the stuff. All About Walken has a hook that doesn't quite set, but still makes the evening good for some genuine laughs and enjoyment.
Eight Christopher Walken impersonators and one sexy showgirl take us through an hour and thirteen minutes of the usual improv exercises and some standard sketch comedy, but the thing is they're Walken impersonators and the legend of Walken informs every moment of the show. This dedicated troupe of performers gives us Walken past, present, and possibly future with varying degrees of Walkenness and a willingness to fall flat on their watch-stuffed asses.
To enjoy this show, it helps to be familiar with the Walken oeuvre and the usual Walken cliches such as the hair, the pauses, the cracking voice, the "Wow." But it isn't absolutely necessary. There are other impressions - Colin Farrel, Jack Nicholson, Woody Allen, and perhaps the scariest Robert DeNiro (Amy P. Kelly) this side of Goodfellas. And the best, most surprising thing is - they dance!
Part of the show's inspiration, in fact part of the show itself, is the tendency of any amateur with a camera and a computer to put Walken impersonations on Youtube, thereby making it seem like a national phenomenon. True or not, any fan of Walken will be tempted to check this show out and, as far as the Walken elements are concerned, will no doubt find plenty of amusement.
All About Walken plays Thursdays at 8pm through October 16. Theatre 68, 5419 Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood $15 myspace.com/allaboutwalken