Laughter midnight

BROS BE FOUR HO’S Both Cook County Social Club (top) and Let Them Ho’s Fight (bottom) give comedy some late-night love.

When asked to define the audience that frequents his midnight I.O. shows, Andy Sloey, one of four dudes in Let Them Ho’s Fight, doesn’t hesitate. “We pull a lot of those Wicker Park/Intelligentsia types,” he says.

But just as inflated condo and coffee prices reduce that ’hood and its bean stops to alt–wanna-be status, so too has midnight comedy become less risky for audiences and aspiring comedians.

Let Them Ho’s Fight, which shares the bill with Cook County Social Club Fridays at midnight (they rotate headlining duty) in the Wrigleyville theater’s Cabaret space, delivers what its performers lovingly call “whiskey-fueled improv”—loose, aggressive, fast play. It’s a formula that won over I.O. management back in October.

Until last June, Fight was the sole occupant of the late-night slot in I.O.’s upstairs Del Close Theater. The troupe went all out to give the show a rock-club feel: Bouncers were stationed up front, loud music impeded preshow chitchat, drink specials flowed at the bar and a standard-issue folding table became the group’s merch hub.

Sure, the show ran past many comedy fans’ bedtimes, but the boys weren’t bitter about missing out on prime-time audiences. “Our show was meant to live in a midnight slot,” says Sloey’s fellow ho, Mort Burke. “It’s pretty silly; plus we love curse words.”

The four-guy, four-letter-word–loving group dynamic is similar to that of Social Club, friends of Fight who brought them onto a shared bill when I.O. ran into a scheduling snafu last June.

Compared to Fight, Social Club has its roots in more timely (less raunchy) I.O. comedy: The group formerly punched in Thursdays at 10pm. Its late-night show (an open run since February) has provided these performers with more freedom and a fresh comedic vibe.

“The sheer fact that the show’s late means it feels like a party,” says Social Club member Mark Raterman. “It’s more apt to slide into blue material—like seeing someone’s bare ass.”

He’s not kidding. The show we saw featured two full moons (and a few crescents), numerous “National Blow Job Day” celebrations and a full-on pubes-shaving scene.

But don’t make the mistake of associating the unfortunate time slot and abundance of exposed flesh with amateur performances. Both groups boast an uncanny onstage chemistry and a roster of sharp improvisers well versed in balancing grounded scenework and uncensored play.

This solid-ensemble-meets-odd-time-slot-resulting-in-stellar-shows formula has served I.O. well in the past. The Late Night Late Show (Saturdays, midnight) regularly packs the house, and TJ & Dave (Wednesdays, 11pm)—arguably the best two-person improv around—sells out despite its hump-day slot.

The allure of cult success and a consistent fan base keep Social Club and Fight going into extra rounds. “We were worried about performing during no-man’s-land time, but consistently good shows, no matter what time, draw crowds,” Raterman says.

It’s clear Friday nights at I.O. are growing in popularity. There’s no end in sight for Social Club’s open run, and there is talk of spinning off Fight for more solo rockin’ improv.

But I.O. isn’t the only late-night attraction. A comedy staple for five years, pH Productions proves late starts lead to bigger things. This troupe performs exclusively on weekends at Stage Left, and all shows start after 11pm.

“In the beginning, late-night shows afforded us an inexpensive run,” says Jason Geis, pH’s artistic director. “Our shows became more interactive and fun, and helped us grow as artists.”

Geis says pH’s ultimate goal is to open its own theater space. Stage Left will help its late-shift renters out by allotting a prime-time trial slot to pHrenzy—pH’s 12:30am biweekly improv competition—for a limited November run. Little will change once the show hits the mainstage. “Late-night comedy is what we do,” Geis says. “Our improv will always have the relaxed, party atmosphere associated with midnight shows.”

Social Club and Fight rock I.O.’s Cabaret Fridays at midnight, and pHrenzy enters Stage Left Fridays and Saturdays at 12:30am.