DOUBLE EXPOSURE
How poorly does Alcantar play? Well, the best skits are facile and obvious; the worst are incoherent. One was so pointless I assumed I was missing something. In the skit, Alcantar plays a disc jockey doing an all-night program at radio station WXRT. It’s 4 AM, and he’s interviewing a rock star played by Francesca Rollins, the other member of this two-person show. They’re both sleepy, but they press on, yawning violently and making small talk. He gets up to fetch her some coffee. She tries to light her cigarette and accidentally sets her jeans on fire. He returns with herb tea because the station has lost an account with a major coffee company. They talk some more. He puts on “The Thrill Is Gone,” by B.B. King. End of skit.
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Am I missing something? Am I merely failing to recognize the subtle humor? I must admit that several times I was totally baffled by what I saw. For example, when Alcantar plays the new postmaster general, he is clumsy and inefficient as he fields a complaint from a disgruntled customer. Fine, I get it–he’s as inept as the entire U.S. Postal Service. But during the skit, Alcantar keeps making a face. He forces air behind his upper lip, causing it to bulge, and he opens his eyes wide. The face goes unnoticed by the customer, and seems to have nothing to do with the skit. Or am I overlooking something?
