Messing With A Friend

Susan Messing is one of those people who is famous in Chicago, but outside of Chicago you probably have never heard of her. No, she wasn't on Will and Grace. The only notable recent thing you may have seen her in is the stripper in traction in Let's Go To Prison. No, wait, nobody saw that movie. Nevermind.

It's a shame. It's a really, really big shame that more people don't know of her, because she's fucking awesome. She's a quick wit, deft with characters, and even at 45, cute as a button.

If you're in Chicago, one of the places you can see her do her thing is The Annoyance Theater, where her show Messing With A Friend (get it? her last name is a verb!) is coming up on it's third year.

The premise is simple, as Susan usually introduces it: "I'm going to get a suggestion and then me and my friend are going to fuck around." By "fuck around" she means doing some improvised comedy scenes with a guest which changes weekly. Sometimes the guests are semi-famous like "That guy from SNL" and "I think that guy was on...what was that shitty sketch comedy show that I am glad is off the air? Oh yeah! Mad TV."

Most of the time she brings some of the most talented people around Chicago that you have never heard of to perform with her. Even then, Susan usually outperforms them. She is a lady who is not afraid to do anything, whether it be to swear up a storm, or sit on an audience member's lap, or chew their gum, or comment in character that she has to pee, then actually go to the bathroom for five minutes. It's kind of like having an Super-Plus Amy Sedaris perform for you.

If you are in the Chicago area and don't have anything to do on a Thursday night, I recommend stopping by this show. It is only five dollars, which allows you extra spending money for drinks at the bar.