Look - It's a New Show!

For Immediate Release

Press Contact: Nat Topping, Robot vs. Dinosaur @ 734-657-8582, nat.topping@gmail.com

Box Office Contact: Donny’s Skybox @ (312) 337-3992 or Second City Website

Robot vs. Dinosaur Presents:

Wait Wait…Don’t Kill Me!

Opening: July 27th
Closing: August 24th
Days and Times: Fridays, 9 p.m.
Location: Donny’s Skybox
4th Floor, Piper’s Alley
1616 N. Well Avenue
Chicago, IL 60614

Ticket Price: $13 general admission ($10 students)

A Comedy Revue That Kills. On Stage and Off.

Robot vs. Dinosaur’s spooky sketch show guarantees you’ll die laughing.

CHICAGO, IL – (July 2, 2012) Autumn has long been the king when it comes to spooky sketch shows, but this summer Robot vs. Dinosaur unhinges October’s monopoly with the opening of a new horror-themed show, Wait Wait…Don’t Kill Me! Directed by RvD ensemble member Susie Gutowski, the show is haunted by those things that go bump in the night: witches, ghosts, and West Coast rappers.

The show steers clear of many of the tropes of Halloween-themed sketch shows. Gutowski says, “Werewolves and vampires have been exhausted by pop culture. Our scenes take a broader look at what’s scary. A train that steals babies and turns them into adults. A first date at a couple’s cooking class for witches. A stalker who finally traps the heart of his true love.”

She concedes, “We have one zombie apocalypse scene, but even that has more to do with the rules of Southern hospitality than the un-dead.”

The 45-minute show is hosted by a Vincent Price-type character called Uncle Trevor (Nat Topping) who seems in a constant battle to one-up himself with puns and maniacal laughter. “We loved the campiness of the host in the Tales from the Crypt TV series and wanted to infuse the show with those over-the-top characters,” explains Gutowski.

Wait Wait…Don’t Kill Me! also features the spine-chilling musical composition of guest artist Mike Malarkey, whose professional credits include “Lay You Down” by Tyga featuring Lil Wayne and “This is Like” by Tyga featuring Robin Thicke. Malarkey scores the show’s opening song and a rap that details how R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books are the new aphrodisiac. The hip hop beat has an eerie organ sound overlaid with wolf howl hooks and thunderclap beats.

The show honors its pop-horror roots until the very last minute; the Scooby Doo ending will rejuvenate your love for live theater. Or should we say… DEAD theater?

More about Robot vs. Dinosaur: For 6 years, Robot vs. Dinosaur has assembled such quality shows as “Are You There God? It’s Me, Satan” (Gorilla Tango), “Mrs. Gruber’s Ding Dong School” (Gorilla Tango), and “The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent, etc.” (Neo-Futurists, Stage 773). The group has made appearances at Chicago Sketchfest the past 6 years and continues to delight audiences with creative, thematic sketch shows. Robot vs. Dinosaur consists of writers Rammel Chan, Susie Gutowski, Joe Janes, Rebecca Levine, Chris Othic, Nat Topping and Greg Wendling. Visit http://www.rvdchicago.blogspot.com/ for more information, or find them on Facebook.

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Opening Night

Last night was the opening night of our new show. Here is a not-at-all live blog of my experience:

(all times are CDT)

4:45p - Change my choice of pants from black Dockers to gray not-Dockers.

5:08p - Catch the inbound Brown Line train. Only one homeless guy grunts at me.

5:30p - Call my mom to tell her about the horrendous scene I wrote. She makes her peace with her God.

5:53p - Exit the Sedgwick CTA stop and am handed a postcard advertising several misspelled drink specials at a local bar.

6:00p - Arrive at Piper's Alley. Only one homeless guy grunts at me.

6:02p - Arrive at Donny's Skybox. Sugar Babe asks why I shaved my beard. I haven't grown a beard since 2005.

6:10p - The pre-show pizza arrives. I decline because I'm a fat person and, therefore, always end up with 15% of my meal on my shirt.

6:23p - While assembling the show programs, I realize that I haven't accomplished any of the things listed in my bio.

6:58p - A final runthrough of "The Post" results in great pain.

7:15p - Our audience begins to arrive.

7:30p - Showtime!

7:32p - Forget the one line I have in the opening scene. I instead recite Iceland's national anthem.

7:46p - For the seventh time, I ask George, "which scene is next?"

7:59p - My acting in the Restaurant sketch results in great pain.

8:11p - I forget my lines in the last scene and instead read The Great Gatsby to the audience.

8:16p - Final bows. The show ends. I ask George, "which scene is next?"

8:45p - Drinks at the Old Town Ale House. I tell the hot woman behind the bar about how great I was in the show. The bartender informs me that I've been bragging to the nude painting of Rod Blagojevich.

12:23a - Finally get to bed. I ask my wife, "which scene is next?"