Emo Philips
“I like to play chess with old men in the park,” says Emo Philips. And this is what you would expect from a 55-year-old who looks (weird) and sounds (also weird) like Emo Philips does. Then he adds: “The trouble with playing chess with old men in the park is finding 32 of them.” This is the paraprosdokian essence of stand-up comic Emo Philips, whose 30-plus-year stage career has been marked by portraying a weird mixture of Ed Wynn, Pee-wee Herman, and that time Crispin Glover was on Letterman in the ’80s. Successful in his own right, the style and wordplay of the beloved “comic’s comic” helped influence the careers of contemporary cult favorites Mitch Hedberg (R.I.P.), Demetri Martin, and Bo Burnham. Tonight, Philips begins a five-night run at the Acme Comedy Company with special guest Frank Conniff from Mystery Science Theater 3000. In addition to their stand-up acts, the two will perform sketches they’ve been working on over the past few months. 708 N. 1st St., Mpls., 612-338-6393. For more information, visit the Acme Comedy Co. website.