Comedy Attic to bring ‘State’ duo

Local comedy club, the Comedy Attic, will have two big names instead of one this weekend.

And luckily, they’re both named Michael.

The comedic duo Michael Showalter and Michael Ian Black will perform today through Sunday.

“We expect every show to be sold out,” Comedy Attic owner Jared Thompson said. “It basically would take a hurricane to stop that from happening.”

Thompson said the club originally had another comedian planned for Welcome Week, but they needed to reschedule.

“Michael and Michael pretty much fell into our laps, and we couldn’t pass it up,”
Thompson said.

Showalter and Black will speak in Bloomington at 5 p.m. Friday at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater for a technology conference called The Combine, which wanted two big names in technology and entertainment for speakers.

Budget coordinator for The Combine and Michael and Michael fan Jessica Reed could barely contain her excitement.

“This show is a big deal to me because I’ve been MIB and Show fans since the days of ‘The State,’” Reed said, mentioning the ‘90s sketch comedy show that helped launch their careers. “It’s also a big deal because The Combine is bringing them to town for a technology conference, but the Comedy Attic is booking them in a smaller, more intimate venue.”

The two have done stand-up and both have written, acted and directed many movies and TV shows, often with other former State members.

Thompson called Showalter and Black “two of the biggest pop culture icons in the past few decades.” He explained that getting these two well-known comedians is a huge deal for The Comedy Attic.

“It’s massive,” Thompson explained. “My wife and I grew up watching ‘The State’ on MTV, and I have followed these guys a long time. So it is important to us on a personal level as well.”

Thompson added that the club  sold tickets to people in 12 states. He said he hopes many students and Bloomington residents alike will make it to one of the shows.
“Honestly, a club our size in a town our size doesn’t get opportunities like this very often,” Thompson said.

Reed said she hopes that with the comedy set and the conference, the performers will take a liking to Bloomington.

“I’m hoping that now that Black and Show are spending a significant amount of time here, they’ll give Bloomington some twitter love and come back again soon,” Reed said.