Theater Review : Duck’s Breath: Sophomoric Nostalgia

Five men who call themselves Duck’s Breath Mystery Theatre and wear clothes that don’t match will perform comedy at LunaPark tonight.

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The antic troupe has reunited for the first time since its breakup in 1988. Like Firesign Theater or Cheech and Chong, it thrived in an era when college students demanded comedy that supplemented their studies about politics and culture. Duck’s Breath delivered a high-energy commentary on both at Thursday night’s opening, in skits both old and new. But for this newcomer to Duck’s Breath, most of the material seemed sophomoric. There may be an element of nostalgia required to enjoy the show.

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The performers are endearing, but much of their material was soft and pointless. One bit was repeated several times so that the men could reprise the theme song to the “Sky King” TV show. Merle Kessler performed his character Ian Shoales, guide to popular culture, who races through a list of cliches and familiar phrases from movies, commercials, TV shows and Spiro Agnew, which was fun but didn’t seem terribly up to date, cinching the nostalgia aspect of the evening.

One skit promisingly called “Beowulf Watch” went nowhere fast, as Kessler forthrightly admitted (“Sorry, we had the title; didn’t have the bit”).

As Dr. Science, Dan Coffey adroitly fielded questions from the audience. When asked, “What is the smallest particle?,” he replied without blinking, “That is the brain of a Mormon elder.” The group does not have a stop in Salt Lake City planned.

* “Duck’s Breath Mystery Theatre,” LunaPark, 665 N. Robertson, West Hollywood. With: Bill Allard, Dan Coffey, Leon Martell, Merle Kessler, Jim Turner. Tonight at 7:30. $15 ($10 for dinner guests). (310) 652-0611. Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes.