Watch “Out of Africa” from Top Story! Weekly Episode 261: “Hawaiian Punch”!

The news has been so seriously lately that it’s been a challenge to come up with comedy about it.  But with the Ebola outbreak, I thought mocking the hysteria among Americans might be the way to go.  Plus it’s always fun to write a rant for Bennie Arthur!

OUT OF AFRICA by Michael Hughes

Starring Bennie Arthur (Charlie), Sean Cowhig (Steve), Kipleigh Brown (Kathy) and Phillip Wilburn (Joe)

Directed by Michael Hughes

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Watch “Harding After Hours” From Top Story! Weekly Episode 257: “The Heat Is Off!”

A line flub turned into a happy accident that made the scene. When Bennie Arthur accidentally called Tillery Johnson “Henry Fonda” instead of “Henry Ford”, this sketch about the erotic letters Warren G. Harding sent to his mistress could have been derailed. Instead, because the cast was listening and paying attention, it became even more hilarious.

HARDING AFTER HOURS by Michael Hughes

Starring Bennie Arthur (Warren G. Harding), Jen Cain (Carrie Fulton Phillips), Tillery Johnson (Henry Ford), Kipleigh Brown (Dorothy Parker), Sean Cowhig (Babe Ruth),Matthew Harris (Louis Armstrong) and Eileen Mary O’Connell (Narrator)

Directed by Michael Hughes

Watch “The Koch-O-Nuts” From Top Story! Weekly Episode 244: “Stupid Retirement Tricks”!

With a story about how the Koch Brothers want to fund a right-wing improv troupe, and a cast full of talented improvisers who’d be fully able to appreciate every bad improv move I mocked, this one was a lot of fun to write and direct!

THE KOCH-O-NUTS by Michael Hughes

Starring Eileen Mary O’Connell (Eileen), Blake Hogue (Blake), Colin Contreary (Colin), Stacy Rumaker (Stacy), Sean Cowhig (Sean) and Derek Reid (Audience Member)

Directed by Michael Hughes

Watch “TS!W 720: Herb Koss’ 80th Birthday from Top Story! Weekly Episode 240: “Crimea River”!

Hey! It’s been a while! But when our show’s most loyal fan, Herb Koss, celebrated his 80th birthday a few days before our March 9th show I knew we had to do something to address it. Brian Vestal does an absolutely amazing characterization of Herb here – even if you don’t know him, you’ll really enjoy it!!

TS!W 720: HERB KOSS’ 80TH BIRTHDAY by Michael Hughes

Starring Brian Vestal (Herb Koss) and Phillip Wilburn (Phillip)

Directed by Michael Hughes

Watch “Sixth Man” from Top Story! Weekly Episode 198: “It’s OK to Be Gay in the NBA!”

This one came out well. Obviously this past Sunday in Top Story! Weekly we had to hit the Jason Collins coming out story. But I wanted to do something more on the reaction, almost uniformly supportive. I thought about making it supportive to a ridiculous degree, and some really good acting all round made it pay off big time!

SIXTH MEN by Michael Hughes

Starring Derek Reid (Jason Collins), Sean Cowhig (Aaron Gray), Mitchel Baldwin (Mike Dunleavy Jr.), Colin Contreary (Jason Segel) and Brian Vestal (Delivery Man)

Directed by Michael Hughes

Watch “Season Pass or Fail” from Top Story! Weekly Episode 194: “The Balcony Is Closed”!

A little confession for you guys: I first wrote this sketch for a class I’m taking and decided to tweak it for TS!W. It’s inspired by my own difficulties keeping up with all the TV shows we “have” to watch these days (I’m only halfway through season two of “Breaking Bad”!). Probably better in concept than execution, but take a look and enjoy!

SEASON PASS OR FAIL by Michael Hughes

Starring Kipleigh Brown (Amanda), Stacy Rumaker (Daphne), Julia Wackenheim (Karen), Sean Cowhig (Craig), Phillip Wilburn (Pete) and Brian Vestal (Walter Nielsen)

Directed by Michael Hughes

Watch “TS!W 720: An Irish-American Tells the Real Story of St. Patrick’s Day” from Top Story! Weekly Episode 191: “I Love It When You Call Me il Papa!”

I realized a week ago that noted iO West Irish-American Sean Cowhig was in the Top Story! Weekly cast on St. Patrick’s Day, and I couldn’t let that opportunity go by without poking fun at Sean’s – and my – Irish heritage. Here’s the result; Sean, Phillip Wilburn and Lauren Miller all hit it out of the park!

TS!W 720: ST. PATRICK’S DAY by Michael Hughes and Sean Cowhig

Starring Sean Cowhig (Sean the Irish-American), Phillip Wilburn (Phillip the Interviewer) and Lauren Miller (Lauren the Waitress)

Directed by Adam Campbell-Schmitt

Watch “Kate’s Great in Any Language” from Top Story! Weekly Episode 168: “Shuttling the Percentages”

When every country in Europe except the UK printed those topless photos of Kate Middleton, it was time to dust out the broad stereotypes and have some fun! This didn’t land as well as I had hoped but it was still fun.

KATE’S GREAT IN ANY LANGUAGE by Michael Hughes

Starring Josh Rachford (Wesley), Phillip Wilburn (Garrett), Blake Walker (Pierre), Sean Cowhig (Seamus), Gregg Lopez (Giuseppe) (Giuseppe) and Marco Ragozzino (Bjorn)

Directed by Michael Hughes

Watch “One Giant Leap” from Top Story! Weekly Episode 165: “Chairman of the Bored”

So this sketch started out as a two-liner, but then I had the idea to turn it into an extended blackout. And this is also a rare instance where I not only wrote the sketch but I’m in it as well. Mitch’s character’s name, the director Gershwin B. Shaw, is the same one that Sean Cowhig had in the third sketch from this show in 2009, where a sketch by Matt Blitz had a somewhat similar theme. And some of us on stage did not break when we saw Mitch’s costume!!

ONE GIANT LEAP by Michael Hughes (Anchor),

Starring Michael Hughes (Buzz Aldrin), Phillip Wilburn (Neil Armstrong) and Mitchel Baldwin (Gershwin B. Shaw III)

Directed by Tom Repetto

Watch “Rock of Middle Ages” from Top Story! Weekly Episode 155: “Sports, Sports, Sports, Sports”

The premiere of “Rock of Ages” let us have some fun with the idea of Tom Cruise, rock star – and more fun with some other things about Tom!

ROCK OF MIDDLE AGES by Michael Hughes

Starring Phillip Wilburn (Tom Cruise), Deanna Russo (Katie Holmes), Sean Cowhig (Producer) and Brent Pope (Flelix)

Directed by Michael Hughes