‘Oh, Hello On Broadway’ an offbeat hit

‘OH, HELLO ON BROADWAY’: Nick Kroll & John Mulaney. Photo: Joan Marcus

OH, HELLO ON BROADWAY
By Nick Kroll & John Mulaney
Directed by Alex Timbers
Through January 8, 2017
Lyceum Theatre
149 West 45th Street
(212-239-6200), http://ohhellobroadway.com/

By Scott Harrah

Fans of Nick Kroll (“The Kroll Show” on Comedy Central) and John Mulaney ( former “Saturday Night Live” writer and star of “The Comeback Kid” on Netflix) will find lots to laugh about in this 95-minute saga of geeky 70-somethings Gil Faizon (Mr. Kroll) and George St. Geeland (Mr. Mulaney) and their 40-year friendship, but Oh, Hello On Broadway is definitely an acquired taste. This odd couple relies heavily on the supposed irony of old New York and the offbeat to pack in both fans of Comedy Central and the millennial crowd, most of whom are probably way too young to remember much of what’s being satirized here, from the middling music of Steely Dan to Ed Koch, Richard Dreyfuss, Alan Alda, and the Manhattan of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

Following a successful off-Broadway run last year, the comedy duo has brought the show to Broadway to the delight of their cult following. This is a show one either “gets” or doesn’t. To “get” the humor, it helps to be a true New Yorker, for how else can one relate to jokes about trying to make eye contact with the Orthodox Jews working at B&H Video on 34^th Street? Or zingers about NY 1, diner food and Zabar’s?

These two “legendary bachelors,” clad in corduroys and old-man makeup, share a rent-controlled Upper West Side apartment, but their $75-a-month rent is being increased to $2,500.  George, a failed writer, and Gil, a wannabe actor, are about to become homeless. Much of the humor sends up the theater, from “True Upper West” (don’t ask) to a Jean Paul-Sartre “No Exit” sign to the hodgepodge set, which supposedly includes hairdryers and props from the 2005 production of Steel Magnolias. From references to Billy Crystal’s 700 Sundays to Tennessee Williams and his “sister,” Serena, it’s all in good, silly fun. However, other arcane jokes, such as “Au Bon Pain is French for ‘breakfast at LaGuardia’, ” are head-scratcher humor indeed.

The first half hour is genuinely amusing, but the show starts running out of steam when Gil and George reenact their cable-access TV show “Too Much Tuna.” However, the mock TV show gives a wonderful excuse for a different guest celebrity each night (Alex Brightman of School of Rock was the guest the night I reviewed this, and past guests have included Seth Meyers and Alan Alda). Whether one “gets” the show’s humor or not, one cannot ignore the fact that Mr. Kroll and Mr. Delaney have a marvelous chemistry together as a comedy team. The actors, both in their 30s, rely a bit too heavily on old-man stereotypes and insider jokes, but they get laughs regardless, and have a winning gift for improv and highbrow pratfalls.

The shtick in Oh, Hello on Broadway isn’t for everybody, but there’s enough hammy humor here to make the show an offbeat hit.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published October 14, 2016
Reviewed at press performance on October 13, 2016

‘OH, HELLO ON BROADWAY’: John Delaney & Nick Kroll. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘OH, HELLO ON BROADWAY’: John Mulaney & Nick Kroll. Photo: Joan Marcus