Nick Kroll entertains the crowd. (Tricia Tongco/Neon Tommy)

The Meltdown Show is a playground for alternative comics to experiment with new material in a fun, energetic environment at Meltdown Comics in Hollywood.

Every week, the producers of the show give away one free V.I.P. ticket through a Twitter trivia contest.
 
Fortunately for me, the trivia challenge was to name two characters played by Nick Kroll, who happens to be one of my favorite comedians .
 
I responded within a minute and named two characters-- Fabrice Fabrice, a flamboyant gay craft services coordinator on the show “That’s So Raven” and Bobby Bottle Service, the stereotypical Ed-Hardy wearing L.A. clubrat.
 
And of course, I won! Most people have better things to do than replying to Twitter trivia questions on a weekday at 10 a.m.
 

“Winning," according to the Meltdown Show Twitter ," gets you free admission, a guaranteed seat, and an embarrassing amount of attention.”
 
I was excited for the first two things, but not so much for the last part.

On Wednesday night, a friend and I arrived at the nontraditional venue, the back room of the Meltdown Comics, a large comic book store Hollywood. Colorful paper lanterns hung from the rafters and bright graphic paintings decorated the walls, making it feel like I was hanging out in an artist friend’s modest but hip and quirky loft apartment.

By the time we got there, it was a packed house of more than 100 people, mostly in their 20s and early 30s. Thankfully, I didn’t receive as much attention as I thought I would, but received some swag-- a free Wild Wild West figurine and “Tiger Blood” t-shirt.

At the start of the show, the host Jonah Ray poked fun at the audience’s Hollywood hipster quotient, which was off the charts.

“People in plaid shirts, are you ready for the show to start?”

“People in suspenders, are you ready for the show to start?”

“People in cool hats, are you ready for the show to start?”

The provocative and raunchy comedy that followed may not be palatable for a broad, mainstream audience, but this young audience loved it, filling the room with constant laughter.

Ali Wong, a tiny woman that got big laughs, was one of my favorite comics of the night. She was bold and hilarious in volunteering information about her own sex life.

Alice Wong

She lamented about her reserved boyfriend, “He’s not freaky enough and refuses to put it in the back.” Wong continued, “If I put ‘Tiny Asian girl wants anal’ on Craigslist, the site would crash.”

Nick Kroll, a seasoned comedian, now starring in "The League," one of my favorite shows even though I’m probably out of the target demographic of 18-35 year old heterosexual males, gave one of the more experimental sets of the night. 
I had seen him multiple times and heard most of his jokes, so it was refreshing that he was trying out new material.

Kroll brought up a business idea called “Bad News Bears” which would be similar to a singing telegram, but not quite.

He explained he would “send over hulking, hairy gay men (known as ‘bears’ in the gay community) to deliver bad news to people.” 

He gave some examples of possible messages-- “Your mother is not your biological mother,” he said in a deep, yet effeminate voice.

“Well, the way that you encapsulate both masculine and feminine makes me feel a little better.”

Watching his set felt like I was getting a peek into the creative process behind comedic writing, which felt like stream of consciousness association.

A total of six comics performed, including Mike Phirman, Tommy Johnagin, Dave Ross, Pat Keane, and guest host Moshe Kasher, filling in for Kumail Nanjiani. As a whole, the Meltdown Show successfully showcased comedy that was outrageous and unexpected in a playful, casual environment.  The acts were not polished, but this isn’t television. Instead, comedians engaged with the audience and found their jokes along the way, making it raw, fun and surprising- everything a live comedy show should be.

The Meltdown Show occurs every Wednesday at 8:30 pm at Meltdown Comics, 7522 W. Sunset and costs $8.

Reach Staff Reporter Tricia Tongco here.