Extremely Irreverent S’mores

Andrew Daly “Sing-along With Skip McCabe”

Andrew Daly’s character monologues do not break any formal ground, but somehow his best bits have an unusual charge that leaves the work feeling rather bold, new, and distinct. Daly’s performances are exceptionally controlled, and often benefit greatly from a presentation that removes the visual component and focuses the audience’s attention entirely on his vocal mannerisms. He truly sounds like a different person from track to track on his debut album Nine Sweaters, whether he’s portraying an unusually horny old man, a philandering futurist, an abrasive party-starter, or broad caricatures of French, Irish, and Southern Californian stereotypes. The bits mostly start with a familiar archetype or scenario, but the structure of Daly’s routines inevitably follow down some horribly dark path, and the most hilarious moments come when his characters are forced to reckon with the twists of the narrative on their own skewed terms. Even when you’re anticipating the turns, Daly’s verbal prowess and impeccable timing allow for genuine surprises, particularly when he shows himself willing to go much further with his premise than originally expected without compromising the integrity of his character’s reality. This is certainly the case for “Sing-along With Skip McCabe,” a sketch in which a seemingly wholesome singer tells an unfortunate story that inadvertently highlights his warped, ruthless ambition.

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