This isn't your run-of-the-mill comedy troupe churning out half-baked sketches. Backpack Picnic is the result of 25 combined years' worth of comedy and filmmaking experience, where intelligently crafted stupidity meets top-notch production value. Influenced by absurdist icons like Monty Python, The Kids In The Hall, and Mr. Show, Backpack Picnic pushes the "weird" button when you least expect it.
Don’t get me wrong, Backpack’s not for everybody – it’s about
as random as it comes – but it’s definitely a breath of fresh air in
the sketch comedy landscape where lame writing and tired clichés
flourish.
They came to town via Austin amidst huge buzz from the sketch community,
so I was pumped to see what these boys could bring. If you were hanging
around the fest later Friday night, you already know that I thought
this show was phenomenal. At the risk of sounding like a Rolling Stone
movie review, I’ll add that I laughed the entire time. Hard.
Take the absurdity of Monty Python and mix it with the wit and hilarity
of Kids in the Hall and you've got yourself the makings of Backpack
Picnic. The Austin, Texas-based sketch comedy troupe, best known for
its top-rated Internet shorts on onnetworks.com, will perform as part of the Chicago Sketchfest.
