Business-Class Babies and Breathless Idols, Explained

Fans of goofy observational diatribes and feigned aristocratic snobbery can rest easy this week, thanks to the stand-up comedy of Arj Barker and Natasha Leggero. Barker’s quickly escalating rants usually devolve into hysterical, absurdist punchlines — a story about finally getting to fly in business class, for example, ends with a furious tirade about finding a baby there: “What kind of fucking business does a baby have? Oh, are you a very important baby? Are you a keynote gurgler at a major rattle conference in Auckland?” Barker also appears in Flight of the Conchords as Dave, who, among other things, sings a song about there being too many dicks on the dancefloor. Leggero, for her part, has appeared on Chelsea Lately and The Sarah Silverman Program, and as a drunk stripper on Reno 911. Her stand-up involves a bitchy high-class masquerade featuring elbow-length gloves and fur coats, leading to such audience-directed questions as “Does anyone here live in a servantless household?” Hilarious critiques of hip-hop sampling practices (“Since when did yelling over our favorite hits from the '80s become music?”) and a breathless impersonation of “every girl from American Idol” are just a couple of the witty delights in her repertoire. Expect a night of smart, silly, searing comedy.
July 1-3, 8 p.m.; Fri., July 3, 10:15 p.m., 2009