This review is from the Big Stinkin' International Improv and Sketch Comedy Festival IV held in Austin, Texas. It appeared in the Austin Chronicle the day after we tore the place up!  

SGT. PICKERY'S MECHANICA WONDERFRA:

My favorite group of the week, was Sgt. Pickery's Mechanica Wonderfra, three freakin' wackos from L.A. Byrne Offutt, Jason Huber, and Dave Finkel are big talents whose show is almost too bizarre to describe. Call it high-concept sketch; if the Three Stooges had been geniuses, their show might have looked like Sgt. Pickery's. It was a runaway train of comedy taking swipes at everything from Ivy League education to foreign films to lonely cowboys.

The three actors have distinct and very different styles that mesh together into a very weird, very funny whole. Finkel is huge and histrionic (and a dead ringer for Larry Fine), Offutt is dry and almost smarmy in a Dana Carvey kind of way, and Huber has a dark streak that gives the group a nice dangerous edge. The combination of highly intellectual comedy writing with good old-fashioned slapstick turned this show into a grab bag of laughs, and without a doubt it was the most original offering I saw at BS4. -- J.C. Shakespeare

This is from the Los Angeles Times. It's about a play I did called "The Mirror," possibly one of the most interesting shows I've ever had the fortune to be a part of.

'MIRROR' A HAUNTING REFLECTION OF LONELINESS
Stefan Marks' work follows the arc of male bonding in a challenging, almost always emotional way

 Just when the phenomenon of male bonding has reached a zenith of trendiness, writer-director Stefan Marks elects to examine the very funny, very painful problem of male disassociation in his deft drama "The Mirror" at Two Roads Theatre.
   Marks 1999 play "Baseball" at the Stella Adler ventured into the same emotional territory, with a few dramaturgical stumbles. "The Mirror" is more challenging, less linear, a purer expression of the dilemma arising from the modern male's failure to communicate.
   A sort of Shakespearean Stages of Man with a post modern twist, the play concerns the imperfect interactions among four men--or perhaps the same man--who range in age from youth to AARP eligible.
   Marks' simple staging features Mark Svastics' fine lighting and a uniformly superlative cast, including Marks himself. Spring (Byrne Offutt) is an eager romantic neophyte with a comical crush on actress Neve Campell; Summer (Marks) is a serial philanderer who rationalizes his deception through sociobiological sophistry; Fall (Bruce B. Mathews) is a disappointed complainer who sustains a sudden and devastating loss; while Winter (Steve Eastin) is a stoical survivor who has lived in solitude for so long, he has given up the habit of hoping.
   The play consists primarily of piquant monologues in which the men muse variously about their lives and lots. When the characters do interact, they do so haltingly, with the pained and creaky effort of invalids whose muscles have atrophied through disuse.
   Marks has a fine sense of the ridiculous, and the flawed exchanges between the quintessentially lonely guys are sometimes achingly funny--more often just aching. Set adrift in their own unconsciously self-imposed isolation, these men are so palpably sad they haunt us long after the curtain call. -- Kathleen Foley

This is an online review about "The Dancing Cow," a short film I did. It premiered on the Sony lot, played the festival circuit and ended up being purchased by Steven Spielberg. If you get a chance, click on "The Dancing Cow" poster  in the Hoo-Ha section and check the website out. The story of this little film is truly amazing.

BOVINE FILMMAKING AT ITS FINEST
   It's not my nature to go out of my way to see short films. With the notable exception of "Wallace and Gromit," I generally avoid them simply because they're short. I wanna get at least 80 minutes of movie bang for my movie buck. The only reason I saw "The Dancing Cow," in fact, is because it won zillions of short film awards and therefore appears on the DVD included with the first issue of 'Total Movie Magazine,'  which I purchased when it came out. (It is one of an astounding three DVDs I own.)
   Essentially a morality play in short film form, "The Dancing Cow" takes us into the unpredictable world of Hollywood moviemaking. Evan Lepsow (Byrne Offutt) is busily promoting his new film, a romantic/drama/something-or-other called "Kisses For Eleanor," when he starts receiving interested phone calls from the likes of Harvey Weinstein, Steven Spielberg, Oliver Stone, etc. He's living the wet dream of every first-time filmmaker, but not for long, because soon he realizes that...well, to say anymore would spoil the very short (21 minute) film.
   Things I Didn't Like:
   Raunch.  Sometimes I like raunchy humor, but usually only when it's done well, and even then I might not necessarily like the fact that the raunchiness is present. Such is the case here; the "I Gotta Pee" joke, for example, is amusing, but not just because someone says "I gotta pee," there's more to it that that -- the situation, the character dichotomy. Thankfully it's not nearly as Farrellyesque as it could have been.
   It Moves Awfully Fast and Ends Way Too Soon. As Heather mentioned in her review of "Rejected," there's no getting away from this with the short-film format; I feel the same way about "The Wrong Trousers," (Best Short Film Ever!). Thankfully, "The Dancing Cow" manages to do okay with the pacing. Yes it's fast, but it also contributes to the story and heightens the general pitch of the piece -- much like "The Wrong Trousers." If any one scene had been a minute longer, the tone may easily have been thrown off. I just wanted additional scenes, I guess.
   Predictability. Despite the fast pace, I saw the "surprise ending" coming a mile away. I guess I'm just so solution-focused that I can never allow myself to get swept up in the circumstances of the mystery.
   Things I Liked:
    Byrne Offutt. Wow. I gotta see more of this guy. He's just so perfect here. He hits all the right notes: confusion, embarrassment, moral conflict, stress-induced temporary insanity...a joy to watch. And that look on his face when he says, "Butch! You f*** bag, not funny!" Ah! Priceless.
   The Music. Weird. Creepy. Mark Snow. Much of the film's identity is derived from the very unique music.
   The Character of Butch. he only has one very short scene, but he amuses me. The juxtaposition between his image and his apparent actual job position is so quickly presented, yet so much more funny than a lot of characters upon whom hours of characterization is spent in more mainstream films.
   Final Thoughts:
   You've probably finished reading this review with some bewilderment, as though I haven't said much about "The Dancing Cow." That's on purpose. It's something you must discover for yourself, and I do recommend it. There are far more wasteful ways to spend 21 minutes. "Cosby," for instance. -- Mike Lynch
These are some review snippets from my time spent at the Acme Comedy Theatre. I performed sketch comedy with the company for a few years before starting up Sgt. Pickery's Mechanica Wonderfra with Jason Huber and David Finkel.

"Byrne is fresh and gifted...the humor edgy and dark." - Daily Variety

"Offutt's focused, obsessive performance is truly indelible." - Los Angeles Times

"The most energetic and focused actor I've seen on stage in quite some time." - NoHo Magazine

"Byrne Offutt's performance is both funny and touching." - Backstage West

"A standout!" - L.A. Reader

Byrne Offutt is a gas!" - Drama-Logue