Gangl makes this sort of solo turn feel like easy riffing.

By Paul Blinov

In Search of Cruise Control finds James Gangl recounting the true story of getting ready to give his teenage nephew the sex talk. An immensely likable stage presence, Gangl makes this sort of solo turn feel like easy riffing as he works through own sexual history—from his parents burning the pornography he found as a child, to a brief fling with a not-’till-marriage vow, to the one good sex talk he ever got (from Laurence Fishburne’s character in Boyz N The Hood). It’s hilarious, poignant storytelling.

And then, suddenly, everything changes. Few shows can essentially rewrite themselves halfway through—even the parts we’ve already seen—but Cruise Control does so handily, gaining incredible vulnerability and depth without losing the comedy that defined its first half. A rare feat of a show.

Find tickets here