Count on 2 of Wichita’s funniest men to put on a seriously funny show

The crowd at Roxy’s Downtown for Wednesday’s performance of “The Kyle & Monte Christmas Musical” was small but mighty, said one of its titular characters, Monte Wheeler.

“That’s what she said.”

The audience erupted in laughter.

The corny, irreverent – but patently hysterical – Christmas variety show conceived in a matter of two weeks by longtime Wichita funnymen Wheeler and Kyle Vespestad had the Roxy’s crowd laughing for nearly the entire two-hour show.

So, from Vespestad and Wheeler’s perspective, it was a pretty good Wednesday.

“It’s so great to hear from people that they just came and forgot their troubles for two hours,” Wheeler said after Wednesday’s performance, over a cold beverage. “It might look silly and easy, but we really care about bringing people joy.”

The duo, who have worked together in Wichita theater for about 20 years, are known for their absurdist “Kyle and Monte Christmas Medleys,” which mash together traditional carols with pop songs and choreography.

The medleys have been a hit with Wichita audiences in years past, so why not make an entire musical full of them?

It didn’t take long for the duo, who started writing “The Kyle & Monte Christmas Musical” in late October and premiered it Nov. 11. About 90 percent of the show is scripted; the rest is improvised every night.

The show is a mix of sketch comedy and musical parody, with some audience participation – the two often play a “Let’s Make a Deal”-esque “What’s in Your Purse?” game, and two audience members are called up to play “The $100 Pyramid” game show in the second act.

The jokes in their sketches land consistently, but it is perhaps the segments where the two sing straight Christmas songs without trying to be funny that impress the most. Vespestad’s silky smooth “White Christmas” or his and Wheeler’s duet, “Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy,” showed impressive vocal chops, a refreshing break from the fast-paced, prop-heavy parody singing that fills the rest of the show.

Dylan Mark Lewis, who plays the backstage assistant, often steals the scene when he appears on stage, which is frequently in the second act.

Despite the show being written in about a week and rehearsed for about the same amount of time, it is remarkably polished (possibly due to the fact that it has now been playing for about a month).

Vespestad said he and Wheeler were editing their script and choreography up until opening night, and often rehearsed for nine to 12 hours a day.

“One of the purposes of the show is literally just to make people laugh – laugh at us and laugh with us,” he said. “We know each other’s comedy and timing, and we’ve just been doing stupid stuff like this for a long time, which makes it easier for us.”

“The Kyle & Monte Christmas Musical” is sure to please both newcomers and longtime fans of Vespestad and Wheeler – it’s been selling out most nights, they said, with “raucous” crowds.

It bodes well for more headlining shows for the duo in the future, they say.

“Of course – we’ll probably work together until we’re dead, or as long as we can stand each other,” Wheeler said.

“Unfortunately,” Vespestad piped in.

“Yeah, unfortunately,” Wheeler said with a laugh.

This story was originally published December 8, 2016 at 8:46 PM with the headline "Count on 2 of Wichita’s funniest men to put on a seriously funny show."