Mask & Wig does killer performance of 'Brutus'

It was a spectacular display of talent and wit. Ah Brutus, You Kill Me was one of the best, most hysterical efforts by Mask & Wig yet. Everyone started laughing from the first skit on; even College Senior Michael Shames "cracked" up – right on the middle of the stage. The opening piece set an upbeat tempo as the men shimmied and crooned their way into the audience's hearts. They warned of breaking all those PC barriers, and they did. "Special is an adjective you use to describe Olympics for retarded children," was a witty one-liner that evoked tremendous laughter. The talent ran rampant through Houston Hall Auditorium with the likes of Shames and College seniors Gabriel Ledger, Scott Cunningham, Norm Golightly and Daniel Bisbee. They were very animated and their voices were great – except for Golightly, whose wasn't. Newcomer College freshman Casey Boyle looked primed and ready to carry on the Mask & Wig tradition. He can tap dance with the best of them and he can sing like a lark (with a deep voice, that is). Even that "No Tolerance Cowboy" thing got funny after the fourth time. And the band?wow. College Senior Ted Werth was the Sultan of Swing, accompanying the musicians in hip-hoppy little pieces that induced audience members to tap their feet to the beat. The highlight of the evening was the attack of the killer cream cheese skit, as College sophomore Joel Chasnoff grappled with a feisty container of "West Philadelphia" brand cream cheese. If you've ever had a completely meaningless conversation on Locust Walk, you would enjoy the skit about "loquacious walk." It is a parody of the silly things you might say when running into acquaintances. And there was a great display of the men's acting skills in a scene where they all portrayed different animals at a party. Some were whale-like, and some looked a little like monkeys. Or so it seemed. Seriously, though, the show was not quite up to par. Certainly, the aforementioned Wiggers displayed ample talent, but the show as a whole was missing that flare and that certain je ne sais quoi which audiences have come to expect when seeing Mask & Wig. That's not to say it's a waste of money; it's not. It just wasn't as consistently funny as past shows. Ah Brutus, You Kill Me runs tonight through Saturday in the Houston Hall Auditorium. Show times are 7 and 9:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale on Locust walk for $6.