By:

Last Thursday, Brooklyn's Prospect Park Bandshell was home to Eugene Mirman & Pretty Good Friends , the latest installment in mostly free and totally awesome series. The two hour show was a fun and relaxing combination of comedy, music, and friendship. Mirman, who performed at the top of the night, was a refined and generous headliner, acting more as a host than a star. He seemed to genuinely enjoy and believe in his friends, and with supporting acts like Kumail Nanjiani and Michael Showalter , why shouldn't he?

Even in a venue of 1,000+, , thanks to a large projector screen, employed his signature take on prop comedy, showing nonsensical posters that he made for the Tea party ("Liberty / Don't Tread On Tea!" among other, and funnier ones that I didn't write down).  In between acts, Mirman performed small bits, including one in which he handed out homemade, mostly Robin Williams themed, Father's Day cards. ("You are a better dad than the one from Dead Poet's Society.")

It was Showalter's 40th birthday, and, picking up one of musical guest Blitzen Trapper's guitars, the Brooklyn resident gave his 12-year-old self a present by miming an excerpt from "Sunday Bloody Sunday," while sloppily singing the lyrics. But the festivities didn't stop there.

At the end of Showalter's set, which mainly consisted of him giving away some of his old books by throwing them into the crowd, Mirman brought out a life-size cat cake with Showalter's face on it. Michael humbly accepted the bizarre gift, acknowledging his love for cats; minutes later, he came back out and presented Mirman with the cake's severed head, a fork, and a napkin.

Michael Showalter gives Eugene a slice of birthday cake

Click to read more ...