Oh, Hello on Broadway

Nick Kroll and John Mulaney took their decade-old, turtleneck-clad alt-comedy alter egos and, against all practical logic, mounted a full-scale theatrical production. Rather than a standard stand-up set, this is a specific character study and a parody of Broadway conventions starring Gil Faizon and George St. Geegland, two delusional, 70-something Upper West Side bachelors who survive on rent control and an obsession with Alan Alda.

Filmed at the Lyceum Theatre in early 2017 after a successful 138-performance run, the production is directed by Alex Timbers. Kroll and Mulaney use the stage to mock theater tropes, from one-sided phone calls to tragic coughing fits. The centerpiece of the show remains their “Too Much Tuna” segment, an interview prank where they bring out a surprise guest, Steve Martin, and present them with an oversized plate of deli fish.

Stretching characters designed for five-minute TV sketches into a hundred-minute theatrical narrative inevitably tests the limits of the premise. Yet, the performance thrives on the duo’s sharp chemistry and a shared commitment to the bit, creating a specific, self-sabotaging theatrical ego trip.