Although there was a noticeable absence of giant, city-destroying monsters at Thursday’s installment of the Chicago Improv Festival, there was no shortage of monstrous laughs, thanks in part to the amazingly smart duo, TJ Miller (of Cloverfield and Carpoolers fame) and Thomas Middleditch, who headlined the night.

Opening for the twosome was SCRAM. Composed of Chicago improv veteran Joe Bill and Minneapolis powerhouse Jill Bernard, SCRAM put on a stunning and emotional set. The duo began by setting up two separate scenes, independently of one another, at the same time. After establishing the essentials of their own scenes, the two switched, assuming other characters in the worlds established previously. It’s one of those formats better understood once seen. And seeing it in action was pure beauty. Bill and Bernard’s scenework is incredibly grounded, giving rise to extraordinarily emotional scenes, tinged with true situational comedy.

Up next on the roster was iO’s veteran Harold team The Reckoning. The group started their set with a bang—literally—with Jet Eveleth, a true starlet on the Chicago improv scene, playing a lady who had just been killed by a falling air conditioner. This set the stage for several ongoing themes, including murder, abuse and air conditioning, that the players wove throughout, creating a psychotic dreamscape of madcap comedy.

Rounding out the night were the Ritalin-deprived antics of Miller & Middleditch. These two former Chicago regulars completely blew the audience away with their ability to walk the thin line of believable absurdity. The first scene began with Miller playing a caddy who reveals to Middleditch a secret outpost that the caddies call home. A few scenes later the duo played testosterone-fueled frat boys who ceased their fighting thanks to a shared passion for underwear. But the highlight was when Middleditch grabbed a microphone and conducted a poetry slam, with Miller assuming the role of an angst-ridden, 17-year-old poet.

Miller and Middleditch are pure energy on stage, sometimes assuming several characters each in the same scene. Miller’s experience as a stand-up brings an impeccable sense of timing to their scenes, with comedic tension rising and falling at exactly the right moments. In fact, the two share such a chemistry, they’d probably make a great offstage couple.

Stay tuned for additional coverage of CIF. Photo from the CIF website.