Like that itch on your ass that you have to repeatedly scratch, Patton Oswalt kept the sold out crowd at Lakeshore Theatre laughing relentlessly from the moment Janeane Garofalo introduced him to the moment he triumphantly darted off the stage. Not a dry eye remained in the house as Patton’s one-hour plus hysterical routine delivered blow after blow – and then some. And though Patton’s clever premeditated material was more than enough to keep his flock of followers rolling in the aisles, his ingenious “off-the-cuff” improv that awaited hecklers capped the evening in true Oswalt fashion.

Patton, who many might know as the character Spence Olchin on “King of Queens”, has been headlining comedy clubs since 1996, but has also taken his observational comedy to writing where he provided material for MADtv and more recently, The Comedians of Comedy. His list of TV and film credits take Patton all the way from Seinfeld episodes in 1994 to the voice of Remy, the lead character in this summer’s Disney blockbuster Ratatouille in which Garofalo co-stars along with Brian Dennehy and Peter O’Toole. Comedy Central enthusiasts can also see him in several episodes of Reno 911 as Boozehammer of Galen, Dungeon Master, or the quirky Kenny Rogers Assassin.

Armed with a transgender in the front row and seated next to her an intoxicated, and very outspoken female friend who sounded like an air raid siren with a broken speaker, Patton didn’t have to reach very far into his bag of random targets, as they provided him a steady whipping post for a good portion of the show. “A transgender from Gary, Indiana who had a sex change in 1987? Hmmm...that’s ballsy,” stated Oswalt before referring to her friend, or “Gravel puss” as he called her, by saying, “If the lead singer from AC/DC quits or dies anytime soon, not to worry – we’ve got a replacement.”

Between his improv with various audience members, Patton had the audience in stitches hitting on subjects such as Star Wars – what was George Lucas thinking when he made the prequels and Cirque Du Soleil – the gayest thing I’ve ever seen. Patton also compared George W. Bush’s planning of the war in Iraq to a coke-head talking about his/her unfinished screenplay. I thought it was about finding nuclear warheads... “It’s not about that anymore!!! It’s changed. Now it’s about establishing democracy...no, wait...”

When asked by an audience member if he would be in town for the Gay Pride Parade, he responded with, “No, I’ll be back in LA where everyday is Gay Pride Day.”

Just before he exited the stage, Patton gave a special thanks to the crowd several times stating, “You are truly a gift from heaven.” Afterwards, Patton stuck around and greeted fans (some of whom traveled from Washington D.C.) exchanging brief stories and happily taking photos with anyone who asked.

Patton can be heard on his albums “Feelin’ Kinda Patton”, “222” and his newly released “Werewolves and Lollipops” and can also been seen on his DVD “No Reason to Complain”. For more information on Patton Oswalt go to pattonoswalt.com or myspace.com/pattonoswalt.