Looking to get some action this weekend? Then you should reserve a ticket to the Walsh Brothers' final shows at Jimmy Tingle's Off Broadway Theater (JTOB). "You will get laid - you can hold us personally responsible," say Chris and David Walsh, Boston's home-grown comedic duo. Fresh off their performance at the HBO/Aspen Comedy Festival, the brothers are doing three final shows at JTOB in Davis Square before heading west to the Los Angeles comedy scene.
The shows, this Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. will all be different, drawing on years of material. "We've got something for everyone," David said. "Unless you don't like sex," his brother qualified with a wry grin.
The Walsh Brothers' style deliberately defies description. "We do whatever's in our imaginations," David said. "We've got no real premise, but we're always extremely silly," Chris said. The brothers' shows are often praised for their close-up, personal feel. "Like, let me borrow five bucks, personal," Chris said.
Jimmy Tingle's is an ideal venue for their show: "It feels like we're performing in our living room," David said.
One common thread through all of the Walsh Brothers' work is their desire to be different. "We're inspired by people who aren't afraid to try something ridiculous. Like Monty Python, you know, 'and now for something completely different.' They broke the rules of sketches, ended them before the punch line, before they became whole. We're also fans of Mr. Show [the late '90s HBO comedy show]," David said.
By its nature, the brothers' comedy is in a constant state of flux. "In many ways, Monty Python is the greatest comedy ever, but you can't just do what they did," Chris said. "We've gotta keep things new and fresh. Our goal is to show you something you've never seen before."
In order to facilitate the spontaneity and sharpness of their show's dynamic, the brothers always include a healthy dose of improvisation. "We really don't rehearse very much on book. We're not polished; everything is loose. We're not afraid to ad-lib," David said.
"You can really afford to do it when you're working with your brother, too," Chris said. "You can feed off each other. It's much better than working alone ... and you can share moments, with each other, with the audience."
Whatever the Walsh Bros. are doing, it appears to be working. They were named the Best Comedians of 2006 by The Improper Bostonian.
So what can comedy-loving Jumbos expect to see if they head out to JTOB? "Anything could happen," Chris said.
"We like to mix and match," his brother said. "We're drawing on all our material from the past three years, so no two shows will be alike. But, you know, we only do the ones we like." The show plan is flexible for each night, and the Walsh Bros. depend on their audience for support and motivation. "You guys matter," David said.
They did not want to give away any of their trade secrets, as surprise is what they cultivate above all, but they did leak one bit of information. "We're doing an ode to Fung Wah," David said with an ironic smile. "The owner of the buses will be in the house and we're gonna make a commercial pitch to him."
"Isn't it gonna be slightly racist?" Chris said.
"Well, isn't Fung Wah kind of inherently racist? Is it true that if you're Chinese you get cheaper tickets?" his brother said. Only the show has the answers.
Considering their pending commercial partnership with Fung Wah, why are the Walsh Bros. abandoning their homeland? "The closing of Jack's Joke Shop in Boston," David said, suddenly sober.
"Well, it might just be a publicity stunt," Chris said.
"Seriously though, we've just felt like we've been spinning our wheels recently. There's a ceiling for our kind of comedy in Boston right now," David said.
"Everyone's down on L.A., but I think it's exciting creatively to be able to go out and observe and mingle with thousands of different acts every night. It's important for us to expand our horizons so we can keep surprising people," Chris said. But, as they are fond of saying, they "don't plan to lose their accents."
JTOB is located on 255 Elm Street in Davis Square. Tickets can be purchased by phone at (866) 811-4111 or online at www.jtoffbroadway.com. And remember the Walsh Brother's warning: "If you don't ever want to get laid, then don't come to the show."
