If you are tired of traditional sketch shows or your regular improv shows in Chicago then you are invited to take a trip up north to the Annoyance Theater. All of their shows are very unique and "Stop That Show" keeps that trend going by providing a very different and extremely fun show. Most impressive about this show is that they deliver a very wacky tongue-in-cheek type of comedy, but with such polish and attention to detail. The transitions from scene to scene are very smooth and funny in themselves and the show is technically sound thanks to the Mr. Clay Goodpasture in the light booth. Julie Nichols excels as the musical director, composing over twelve original songs and playing over eight instruments! The music is as fun as the show, which is about a small town that has a theater problem. The solution? Fight fire with fire and put on a show to stop all shows! The real fun happens in act two when the townspeople start putting on a show for every single problem they have. The cast is extremely talented and visibly having a fun time playing with each other; some stand outs include Dan Jessup as The Mayor (whose physicalities, songs and commitment are worth the price of admission alone), Chris Witaske as The Preagician (who is just plain fun to watch, and super over the top. Simply put, hilarious.), and Emily Candini as Darla (Emily is always great at bringing emotion and energy to her characters, in this show she gets to really amp it up). Dunbar Dicks puts all of this together in his directorial debut at The Annoyance and he does a fantastic job. The very last scene of the show is some of the most wonderfully chaotic and absurd comedy this writer has seen all year. "Stop That Show" runs Thursday nights at 8 pm at The Annoyance Theater and is a $15 ticket.

Over at The iO Theater, 3033 is doing some of the best improv in Chicago right now. 3033 is made up of Bill Arnett, Alex Fendrich, Rush Howell, Danny Mora and Andy St.Clair. Everyone in the cast except for Rush was a member of People of Earth, one of the most influential and original iO teams of the past decade. So the fact that these guys are getting back together in a longform improv show should be enough to get you to the theater - but let's add Rush Howell. All you need to know about Rush is this: bar none, he is the funniest person in Chicago right now. All these ingredients make for an incredibly fun show every week, sometimes it is even brilliant. 3033 doesn't do a set form every night, instead they improvise the show structure and rules as they perform which is pretty awesome to watch. 3033 plays on Thursdays at 11pm at iO through May, and moves to Sundays at 10:15 pm starting June 10. It is only $5 (free for iO students/performers) and on a double bill with Stubs (Dina Facklis and Brad Morris).

Finally we would like to congratulate the cast of Feverberry Mountain for getting an extension on their run at iO! They will now be playing every Thursday night at 8 pm through June 7, which means you have three chances left to go see them. Feverberry Mountain is a very tight ensemble that knows each other extremely well which leads to a very cohesive and smart improv show. The cast is made up of Weston C. Haney, John Langen, Gina Nicewonger and Jeff Rukes. It is $10 or free for iO students/performers.

- Jon DeWalt