One of my favorite things about the Pajama Men–the funnyman duo made up of über-buddies Shenoah Allen and Mark Chavez–is that on visits back to their hometown (that would be Albuquerque) they go out of their way to set up shows in new, little-known venues. Such is the case with a new live improv comedy and music show at The Stove, an art gallery and performance venue located in the fertile terrain of East Nob Hill.What a cool joint! Dig the faux brickwork and funky local objets d’art. It’s plenty spacious and comfortable, too, with the audience roughly divided into two connected seating areas in front of a raised stage.This is one of the Pajama Dudes’ expansive free-for-all improv shows, so they aren’t actually wearing their jam-jams. On opening night, they wore ripped hipster jeans and big goofy grins, which is a pretty good look for them. These shows have a completely different feel than their more ironed-out, jammied shows. The duo is often cruder here, and even if a couple jokes fall flat, neither they nor the audience seems to mind. This is experimental comedy at its finest. The boys have been doing this long enough to feel comfortable stretching out and letting the show drift into the downright weird.Sometimes it’s stupid. Sometimes it’s brilliant. More often than not, it’s a lovely combination of the two.On opening night, local acoustic outfit Luminous Craft added background jangling and serene musical interludes to the mix. This was a nice contrast to the frenetic and decidedly unserene vibe of the main attraction. Future shows will feature different local musical acts.Hop on board the Pajama Train! Destination: Funny Town.
The series runs Saturday nights at 8:30 p.m. through Feb. 16. $15 general, $12 students, seniors and members of the Illuminati (ID required). The Stove is located at 114 Morningside NE, between Central and Copper. Call 232-0640 to reserve tickets.
