The Boys Are Back

Even though Santa Claus and his old lady have retired for the season, there is still a fatty gift under the leafy green. For the first time in nearly 25 years, Cheech and Chong, the clown princes of substance-impaired slapstick, are on tour.For a decade and a half starting in the early '70s, the duo rode the counterculture wave, setting sales records and earning Grammys for their comedy albums. For a time, you could hardly tune to an FM station without hearing Sister Mary Elephant scream, "Class, class, class, shut up! Thank you." Eight movies followed, with the pair's shtick suggesting Laurel and Hardy with marijuana and other drugs as props.Tommy Chong went to prison in 2003 for trafficking bongs across borders as part of his clumsy Operation Pipe Dream. Richard "Cheech" Marin paid the bills as a character actor. Now, with Cheech and Chong returning to their stage roots, a motley cast of characters and ghosts are sure to be present, from Blind Melon Chitlin' to Sergeant Stadenko. Roll on down to the Music Hall (301 West 13 Street, 816-513-5000) for the laughs. The show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $39.50 to $59.50.
Sat., Jan. 17, 2009