April 2nd, 2013 
Angie Frissore 
Stand-Up Tuesdays is a weekly comedy spotlight written by the wonderfully talented Angie Frissore. Covering both known and unknown comics, Stand-up Tuesdays is your new source for all things funny.
This week, Angie puts a spotlight on Kristen Schaal’s comedy career. If you or your comedy troupe would like to be featured on Stand-Up Tuesdays, please email utgjames@gmail.com.
Kristen Schaal’s brand-new one-hour special debuted last night on Comedy Central, securing her place on my list of comedic legends. Kristen Schaal Live at the Fillmore features the delightfully charming comedian talking about taints, acting out pots and pans plays, and getting owned by a little girl heckler.
Seen on the HBO cult hit Flight of the Conchords and heard as the voice of Louise Belcher on Fox’s Bob’s Burgers, Schaal proves just why she’s one of the most beloved female talents performing today as she treats her audience to her very special magician’s assistant audition and keeps them on the edge of their seats as she abruptly departs the stage in search of liquid refreshment.
Schaal is able to get away with subjects that most other female comedians would shy away from due to her unassuming presence and child-like attitude towards the world around her. While one certainly hopes the comedian will venture into the blue and dirty, Schaal blows expectations right out of the water with her unique and clever approach to her special.
One of the special’s highlights comes in the form of a heckler who is far too young to be there as the little girl shouts, “You suck!” and eventually takes the stage to prove to Schaal ‘how it’s done’. Referring to Schaal as “Betty Boop in heat,” the little girl grabs the microphone and proceeds to dish out her own set of jokes.
As the special comes to a close, Kristen is heartbroken to find that her closing act, a dancing horse, has decided to quit show business and has disappeared. After a hilarious little off-stage pep talk from her comedy partner, Kurt Braunohler, Schaal takes the stage one last time, dancing around while she and Kurt perform their ‘first ever sketch’, with Kurt singing, “Kristen Schaal is a horse! Kristen Schaal is a horse!”
In case you missed it when it aired at midnight last night (how dare you), the extended and uncensored DVD of Kristen Schaal Live at the Fillmore was released today, featuring material not seen on the broadcast including Comedy Central Presents: Kristen Schaal, Schaal’s performance on John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show, and her favorite appearances on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart as the Women’s Issues Contributor.
Seriously, if you only see one special this year, you might want to make it Schaal’s. Kristen Schaal: Live at the Fillmore is unlike any other comedy special you’ve seen so far and it definitely deserves a permanent home in your DVD collection. Pick it up today. Like, now. Do it!
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- STAND-UP TUESDAYS: Best of 2014 - December 30, 2014
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seriously?
It was godlike, amazing, stunning, and other words. I loved this special.
Seriously? They let a little girl into the taping of this crap and then made her repeat it. Child Abuse.
That was no little girl, JT — that was a CHILD ACTRESS.
And she was no doubt not there for more than her segment, through the MAGIC OF EDITING!!!!!!1!!!! Clue: the “Kristen Schaal Is A Horse Song” prrrrrolllllllyyyy did NOT go on until Kristen died of old age, since she’s apparently alive and healthy today. Once again, EDITING!!!!!!1!!!!
This special was great if you like open mic quality dick jokes from a part time stand up.
Meh. There were some great bits in the first half (loved the pot/pan/spoon love triangle), but the last twenty minutes just devolved into Kaufman-esque meta-gags about awkwardness, failure and the difficulty of finding an audience for surreal comedy – and they just weren’t that funny to anybody who doesn’t love that kind of stuff already.
You’ve got to be crazy. The special was quite poor; an exercise in absurdism that went about as well as Napoleon’s invasion of Russia, and was about as funny. I love Schaal, but this is best avoided.