‘Cary and Gallo’: Two Guys Give the Ordinary a Twist

What would happen if two former roommates got together and did a few gags? It could be a tiresome evening, or it could be something gently charming. “Cary and Gallo: What If We Did This?” at the Coast Playhouse is the latter. The New York performance team of Josh Cary and Patrick Gallo have a laid-back style and an offbeat sense of humor. Their skits mostly draw from everyday life experiences.

The audience walks in to see a high-contrast film of modly dressed young men and young women bounce around to 1960s choreography. The flat set by Tim Walker features two black chairs in front of the center-stage screen and two black tables at opposite ends of the stage. On top of each black table is an oversized lightbulb. The chairs and tables cast white shadows.

Cary and Gallo are a couple of regular guys, dressed in jeans, T-shirts and sneakers. They talk about girlfriends, disgusting and unsanitary aspects of handshakes and different famous musical duos, such as Daryl Hall and John Oates, and how the musicians hooked up.

Director Ted Sullivan keeps the pace tight yet nothing seems rushed. In between the live segments are slide show bits and a winning film short, “Check-Mate,” a silent-era tribute starring the two under the direction of Paul Sullivan.

Cary and Gallo don’t shock or curse. They simply take the ordinary, give it a little twist and show us the comedy of life.

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* “Cary and Gallo: What If We Did This?” Coast Playhouse, 8325 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood. Thursdays-Sundays, 8 p.m. Ends Sunday. $10. (323) 655-TKTS. Running time: 1 hour, 10 minutes.