Learning to Kroll

Comments (0) By Paul M. Davis Wednesday, Oct 6 2010

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Nick Kroll may be best known for his numerous appearances on VH1’s Best Week Ever series (and the endless run of I Love the [Decade] specials that preceded it.) Over the past couple of years, however, he has made a tidy career for himself in appearances on extended-basic-cable cult TV shows such as Children’s Hospital, The Life and Times of Tim, and The League. The Upright Citizens' Brigade alum has always been a reliable hired hand thanks to his geeky, restless charm, but only recently has the comedy community really caught up with his mix of heady material, nerdy obsessiveness, and dick jokes. It’s a good time to be Nick Kroll: As posited with Nostradamuslike accuracy by the Revenge of the Nerds films, the geeks have indeed inherited the Earth, or at least extended-basic-cable television. Kroll has an impressive ability to embody very broad character sketches, such as the stereotypical Spanish-language radio DJ El Chupacabra (as heard on numerous comedy podcasts, including Marc Maron’s WTF) and the craft services coordinator Fabrice Fabrice on (ahem) That’s So Raven. But there’s more to Kroll’s standup than caricature. Given the opportunity to stretch into extended riffs, he demonstrates that he’s a tart, pop-culture-savvy comedian with one foot planted firmly in the gutter.
Oct. 20-23, 8 p.m., 2010