Comedy review: Broad City Live @ The Trocadero

I love Broad City. You love Broad City. Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer are treasures. I want them to come back to Philly, especially when they do cute things like this, but.

But. Some things in the show worked, while others didn't. And when they didn't, it was sad, because we love them. Here's what happened:

First, the show opener was the Cocoon Central Dance Team, and the ladies were delightful. Their whole shtick is awkward dancing/singing to contemporary pop/hip-hop hits, complete with ridiculous, long hair extensions and lame outfits. It's exactly the kind of weirdness that should accompany Abbi and Ilana. 

A&I burst onto the stage to Beyonce, and coming on the heels of the hilarious energy of CCDT, there was a true moment of "Damn, I'm so thrilled to be around all these funny, awesome women." That's still true, of course, but some of the missteps in the BCL show brought that energy down. 

+ A&I did a whole "soundtrack of our lives," thing. So they sung the songs that they believed would play over their births, their first times kissing (and boning), even their deaths. It's a great conceit, and some of them were uproarious, but it went on too long.

+ Then, Abbi did a solo bit onstage where she talked about how her dad is responsible for all the food photographs every Chinese takeout place in America uses. Again, hilarious, but went on too long. 

+ Same for Ilana's solo bit where she did "micro-impressions": She'd do three-second blips of famous people (like one quick lyric in the tone of Alanis Morisette, etc.) but there were just too many. 

+ The best bits: When A&I had a "drum-off" with the two drumkits that had been sitting on stage all night long. Turns out Ilana is truly an awesome drummer. She'd play for a bit, then point her sticks at Abbi, who would drape herself over the cymbals dramatically or tinker around on a snare sheepishly. The awkwardness, like everything they do, was adorable and funny. It was also great when they'd show "Hey, audience!" messages from Hannibal Buress and other Broad City co-stars. They also showed a great sneak peak at an episode from Season Two, which premieres in January. It provided great hope.

In all, when the two were at their best, they brought the laughs like only they can. It seems their particular brand of comedy might just translate better to screen, but I really think that they just have to keep things moving in a quicker, more variety show-ish format. Give us three micro-impressions, or only a couple "soundtrack of our lives" things, and then move on to a new idea.

And with all the great ideas these two have, that shouldn't be a problem.