Wednesday June 17, 2009 (8:30pm)
Thursday June 18, 2009 (8:30pm)
When Robert Smigel was a writer at the late, lamented Dana Carvey Show, even his less outrageous bits were deemed too weird for prime-time television, and the show was prematurely canceled. Smigel's offbeat brand of intelligent silliness found a home at Late Night with Conan O'Brien and Saturday Night Live, where his Ambiguously Gay Duo and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog were enduring favorites; Triumph and his fellow hand-puppet "anipals" even got their own Comedy Central show, TV Funhouse. Tonight, Smigel visits the Lakeshore Theater to screen his notorious, little-seen TV Funhouse pilot, a whimsical parody of Chicago's very own Bozo's Circus, as well as other controversial clips from his career. Word has it that Triumph himself may even make an appearance.
– Ben Bass