Alternative Comedy Festival
Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square
May 9 and 10, 8pm
[ Website | Tickets]

Yes, Virginia, comedy can be funny and unpredictable again. Don't be lulled by jokesters treading over the typical, fallow topics trying to be the next Jerry Seinfeld or Ray Romano.

In what will hopefully be the first year of a new local institution, the Somerville Theatre hosts the Alternative Comedy Festival tonight and tomorrow. Some may roll their eyes whenever the word "alternative" is thrown around, but if all goes well, the Alternative Comedy Festival will become something closer to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival than Lollapalooza.

Unlike alternative rock, alternative comedy is mainly anything that's not happening in "mainstream comedy." Think of comedians trying to push the envelope to the point where they are giving their funniest ideas and not worried about everyone laughing at the same time. Each of the eight comedians performing this weekend offers an innovative approach to making people laugh. Tonight, Emo Phillips, Eugene Mirman, Todd Barry, and doktor cocacolamcdonalds take the stage; while Patton Oswalt, Morgan Murphy, Jim Jeffries, and the Walsh Brothers will crack you up on Saturday.

Emo Phillips may have been one of the earliest American comedians of this category to attain wide notice. At first, it was hard to tell how much of his brain-damaged persona was part of the act--and it's still not completely clear. The hilarious Eugene Mirman grew up in Lexington, but he's made his name on the New York comedy scene. He is perhaps best-known to the nation as Bret and Jemaine's creepy building super on "Flight of The Conchords." Todd Barry has also appeared on "Flight..." as an extremely aggressive bongo player, and maintains a comprehensive receipt museum. This Bostonist is most eagerly anticipating the US premiere of the bizarre musical-comedy of doktor cocacolamcdonalds from England. (Read an interview with Dr.Coke-Mac, as we call him, elsewhere on Bostonist.)

Catch Saturday's headliner while he can still be considered "alternative." Patton Oswalt is "The Angry Dwarf" who flirted with "mainstream" as the cartoon vermin star in "Ratatouille" last year. His personal stories are so twisted, they have to be true. The Walsh Brothers are Boston originals that did the natural thing and moved to LA seeking fame and fortune. They straddle the fence between funny and just plain weird, but it's always interesting to watch. Australian Jim Jeffries is definitely not for the mild-hearted; his confrontational style makes enemies out of the religious right, and sometimes audience members will jump onstage to attack him. Morgan Murphy was a writer for "Crank Yankers" and rocks a frizzy, kinda Gilda Radner-y hairstyle.

The Somerville Theatre is a great venue for comedy, because they have a Harpoon beer stand at a reasonable price with a "no-drink minimum." Boston has been the training ground for dozens of great comedians, and the Alternative Comedy Festival will be one more notch on our (humorous) belt.