Rocio Mateos
I case you missed ‘Oh, Hello’ on Broadway last winter, don’t worry. Just get comfortable, get some snacks and turn Netflix on. Because John Mulaney and Nick Kroll’s show is now available on the streaming service.
‘Oh, Hello’ was originated as an off-Broadway show in December 2015, but as it went on tour, it eventually landed at Broadway’s Lyceum Theater. Where it ran from October 2016 to January 2017. Receiving critical acclaim, it was named as the 2016’s funniest Broadway show.
In the comedy, Kroll plays Gil Faizon and Mulaney plays George St. Geegland, a pair of elderly friends that met while dodging the Vietnam draft in Toronto. They became radio hosts, and now, retired, they are just two rude, narcissistic old New Yorkers fussing over the rising rent of their apartment.
The ‘Oh, Hello’ Netflix special is a filmed version of the show, featuring some extra takes, like the duo preparing for the show – already in character. But most of it stays just like they played it onstage.
‘The Oh, Hello Show’ gained popularity after landing in Comedy Central
Back in 2005, Kroll and Mulaney came up with the idea of the elder characters while shopping in a New York’s bookstore. They saw two old guys buying Alan Alda’s autobiography, and they followed them around for a while. “We just fell in love. They typify a very specific kind of New York personality,” Kroll told The Hollywood Reporter.
They came up with the idea of the double-act with Gil, a struggling actor, and George, a writer, as characters. They called ‘Oh, hello’ for their characteristic salutation, followed by continuous rants about politics, New York marginalia, and all they’ve gone through in their careers. They started performing in New York clubs, becoming hugely successful.
Later, in 2013, Kroll got his own show on Comedy Central and included the ‘Oh, Hello’ sketch. A bit called ‘Too Much Tuna’ was also introduced, consisting of a prank show created by Gil and George, in which they pick on someone and order them a sandwich with “too much tuna.” Their sense of humor is pretty bizarre, as you can see, but the show is actually hilarious.
The ‘Oh, Hello’ friends also gained popularity after appearing on the IFC show ‘Comedy Bang! Bang!’ with The Lonely Island.
Kroll and Mulaney are working on another Netflix project
Both Kroll and Mulaney have debuted solo standup specials on the platform in the past. But currently, they are working together on the animated series ‘Big Mouth,’ due out later this year. They will voice the characters of Nick and Andrew, respectively.
The surreal comedy is based on the teenage adventures of real life friends Nick Kroll and Andrew Goldberg (Family Guy). The friends co-created the 10-episode series with screenwriter-directors Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett.
“Andrew and I have been best friends since 1st grade, so this show is over 30 years in the making. I can’t wait to tell all the stories that make up the glorious nightmare of puberty,” said Kroll about the show, which will be available on the streaming platform later this year.
