Matt Besser “Breaks The Record” through a variety of characters
February 3, 2016 Brenda Hillegas Albums, Features, Matt Besser
A comedy album from Matt Besser has been long overdue. Besser is a co-founder of the Upright Citizens Brigade theatre, and the sadly now defunct TV series Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB), alongside Amy Poehler, Matt Walsh, and Ian Roberts. The original UCB theater and improv school expanded to include other locations in both New York City and Los Angeles, launching the careers of many names you already know.
Besser’s new comedy special, Besser Breaks The Record, debuted last month on NBC’s new comedy-based subscription channel, Seeso. The audio version of the special will be released February 5th via Comedy Dynamics. Filmed live at the UCB Theater in Hollywood, Besser gets the show started with in a risky way…but the holocaust joke does pay off! And you’re still listening, right?!
After the intro, Besser warms up the audience with some letters to the editor from magazines on topics like children, politics and crossword puzzles. It would be nice to actually see Besser perform some of these comedy bits, like when he pulls his “bands” on stage early on in the show, but luckily SeeSo subscribers can.
From Ten Commandments revisions to audience participation, Besser has the crowd clapping and chanting in agreement. He “breaks records” by delivering jokes at a rapid speed, on a series of topics like marijuana or making the audience laugh while eating, and performing a number of characters in a five minute span. Again, I highly recommend enhancing this album by viewing the special on SeeSo.
You can get more acquainted with Besser via UCB Show (on SeeSo, of course) featuring the four original UCB members. You can also catch him several times a week at UCB’s Los Angeles location, including the fantastic ASSSSSCAT 3000 show every Sunday night. If you don’t know what that is, just go get tickets and trust us.