These Kids still fresh, funny, inventive 20 years later

The Kids in the Hall (from left): Mark McKinney, Scott Thompson, Dave Foley, Kevin McDonald, and Bruce McCulloch. (DAN DION)

In the six years since Dave Foley, Scott Thompson, Mark McKinney, Kevin McDonald, and Bruce McCulloch last hit the road together for a Kids in the Hall tour, television sketch comedy has blossomed. Tim and Eric, Human Giant, and the Whitest Kids U'Know have brought a fresh, sometimes dark edge, the same way the Kids did when they first hit television nearly 20 years ago. With all these bright new shows to choose from, what do the Kids have to offer now?

As it turns out, a fresh, funny, and inventive show.

The troupe wrote new material for this tour, mixed with some sketches that were written for last year's Just for Laughs reunion that most audiences haven't seen. Nothing at Thursday's show at the Wang was taken from the greatest-hits archives, although they did bring back some familiar characters, all of whom received cheers of recognition as soon as they set foot onstage.

Thompson's Buddy Cole was the same old provocative Buddy, giving a monologue about how he believes Jesus was gay ("He probably punched like a girl"). Office workers Kathie and Cathy found the advantages of crystal meth (it makes dieting easy and makes "Failure to Launch" funny). And McKinney's voice and movement as Chicken Lady were as impressive and unsettling as ever in a sketch about a phone sex service.

But the new stuff was some of the strongest material. The most inspired sketch of the night had Foley confessing to McDonald his suspicions that his imaginary girlfriend was cheating on him. McCulloch's song tracing his dancing technique from eighth to 11th grade was a wonderful bit of silliness, and a three-sketch arc about a time machine helped tie the night together. The Kids were confident enough in one of their new characters to start the merchandising early - you could buy a beer cozy for "Super Drunk" in the lobby.

Best of all, it was obvious the five Kids still enjoy writing and performing together. Several times during the evening they cracked one another up, flubbing lines or improvising to throw someone off. When Thompson's headset mike wouldn't stay on in one scene, it became a running gag - Foley, McKinney, and McDonald imitating Thompson's attempt to keep his mike close to his mouth with a fingers-on-the-cheek Jack Benny posture.

The 90-minute show moved quickly and ended at the perfect length - and on the perfect note, with McKinney's Headcrusher dispatching the audience and the troupe. The Kids do have plans to continue working together after this tour ends in June, possibly on a film project. And if they're still having this much fun, it will certainly be worth watching. It always has been.