30 Percent Chance Of Hailey

By Betsy Mikel in Arts & Entertainment on Feb 8, 2010 9:30PM

Five years ago, a woman smashed through the glass ceiling of comedy with her debut stand-up performance. She drunkenly slurred her words. She appeared to have peed her pants on stage. She was told never to pursue comedy again.

Instead, she moved to Chicago, the city where great comedians are born. And now, several improv classes and one SNL audition later, Lyndsay Hailey is using the stage to relive the funny bits of her experience. In her one-woman show, 30% Chance of Hailey, Hailey gives a provocative and unflinching performance that unveils as much about her past as it does about her personality. In one sketch, for example, Hailey pokes fun of some awkward moments in her own sexual history. It's pretty gutsy to bring this before an audience that includes her parents (they came to the opening show last week). Scenes like this in 30% Chance of Hailey invite everyone in the theater to come along for the laugh, no matter how awkward the circumstances.

As Hailey transitions from hypnotist to emcee, from singer to gymnast, she displays an impressive repertoire of skills. No matter what role she's playing, Hailey does her best to fill up every corner stage, even during the transitions between scenes. She does this by always performing with total confidence, which is presumably Hailey's strongest feature as a comedian. Even her desperate Civil-era character displays moments of pride as she begs her lover to return.

Hailey's flavor of humor can't please everyone. A song about balls projected from a megaphone might not appeal to some audiences. But no one can deny that Hailey has control of her comedic voice. She's mastered holding her own on stage, and she uses her performance in 30% Chance of Hailey to prove that she can and will continue to pursue comedy, even though her critics once told her otherwise.

30% Chance of Hailey runs every Tuesday night at Improv Olympic until March 2.