Wake Up World

When she co-created Comedy Central's The Daily Show, Lizz Winstead developed an innovative brand of comedy that blurred the point at which news ends and comedy begins. With her new comedy troupe, Shoot the Messenger, Winstead is again taking dead aim at the media, but in a bit more of a straightforward, sketch-oriented way. The troupe's stage show, Wake up World, is a spot-on spoof of a Regis and Kelly-type morning show, complete with perky but ignorant co-hosts, worthless news correspondents, and, of course, hilarious social commentary slipped between the punch lines. When the show takes the stage at the Parkway Theater, Winstead and her crew will have the chance to deviate from their normal shtick, offering commentary and taking jabs at politics and the news while RNC coverage is projected on a giant TV on stage. As if savvy political and sketch comedy weren't worth the low $25 admission price, sly Brit protest singer Billy Bragg will perform on Tuesday and Wednesday, Illinois bar tune god Ike Reilly will play Tuesday, and a bevy of local acts, including singer/songwriters Martin Devaney and Jim Walsh, will perform Wednesday and Thursday.
Sept. 2-4, 7 p.m., 2008