In “Adult Contemporary,” their show at People’s Improv
Theater, Bob Wiltfong and Matt Oberg present a breezy and smart but slight collection of minimalist skits without a lot of
set dressing or costume.
The duo take unexpected turns, jumping quickly from straight-on send-ups
of Pat O’Brien, Al Pacino, Christopher Lloyd and movie preview voice-over artists to pieces mining their personalities,
like impressions of each other’s fathers. They layer on information with each line much in the way a good improv group
does in scenes.
The sketches in the show seem very geared to SNL-type premises, but with
a bluer edge, as in an intervention sketch that begins with a little audience interaction.
In a brief 40 to 45 minues, Wilftong and Oberg also pack in a few video
or photo bits, like a take on the Oscar show recently deceased tribute film that appears every year, as well as the preview
voice-over guy sketch.
Wiltfong and Oberg save the best sketch in their repetoire for last …
a duo of Christian improvisers (and former Christian boy band members) obsessed with chastity … sort of.
The running trait of all the duo’s material is a studied intelligence
made to look effortless and light. Wiltfong and Oberg aren’t aiming to have you rolling in the aisles, but they get
you with their absurdities.
“Bob & Matt: Adult Contemporary” ran at People’s
Improv Theater on Saturday nights in May.