Frankenmatt

Frankenmatt. Get it? Frank and Matt. Comedians Frank Caeti and Matt Craig make up the improv comedy duo in what's called a portmanteau. Like spork for spoon and fork -- made up words run together.

And "Portmanteau" just happens to serve as the title of their third show at Charleston's Piccolo Spoleto Festival.

You might recognize Caeti and Craig from their separate appearances on television. Caeti has the higher profile (despite being shorter than Craig), having appeared for two seasons on the now-defunct "MADtv," most memorably as a religiously fanatical car salesman. Craig worked the sitcom mills in Los Angeles, with brief appearances in "The Office" and "According to Jim," and performed sketch comedy aboard Norwegian Cruise Lines.

Though both are proud of their individual accomplishments, it's their work together as Frankenmatt that matters most to them, they said. Their latest collective effort will play at Theatre 99 at 280 Meeting St. from May 28-31.

Those who made it out to see Frankenmatt perform at last year's Piccolo were treated to a series of rehearsed sketches that revolved around a road trip to Charleston. This year in "Portmanteau," the duo will perform without any semblance of structure; by revisiting the fully improvised nature of their first Piccolo hit "Pilgrimage."

"The way this form basically works is that we'll ask the audience for a portmanteau at the beginning of the show, and that will inspire what we'll improvise about," said Craig via Skype, seated next to Caeti.

To prepare themselves for a paying Charleston audience, Caeti and Craig have been performing this particular form of improv up to twice a week for the past month in Los Angeles. Though every night at Piccolo promises to be different, when Frankenmatt premieres "Portmanteau," they will have executed the exercise well over 30 times.

"Improvisation is always two things," said Craig. "It's understanding the form and how it's going to work, and it's the instantaneous part that everyone recognizes it for. But really good improv in my opinion is rare. It's thrilling. It's a freefall."

Both Caeti and Craig honed their comedic chops at the improv sketch comedy factory Second City. The Chicago-based company churns out prime comedy talent like nowhere else in the country. Jane Lynch ("Glee"), Amy Sedaris ("Strangers With Candy") and Tina Fey ("30 Rock") are among the legions of comics that kick-started their careers with stints at Second City.

"Second City is actually one of those rare comedy places that pays you, and I use that term lightly," Craig said.

The two became close friends while on the road with Second City in 2001.

"The reason why we perform so well together on stage is because there's always one of us who knows what's happening," said Craig. "And if the other person doesn't, then the other person carries that slack."

"Another reason why we work is because we make each other laugh," added Caeti. While Craig and Caeti attest that performing with each other is a joy, the logistics of a life on the road is not on their list of favorite things. When asked if they had always envisioned a life of touring, they screamed a collective "No!" Following their four-night stint here in Charleston, Frankenmatt will take their show to the Twin Cities Improv Festival, Austin's Out of Bounds Comedy Festival and Montreal's Just For Laughs.

"Ideally this is a means to an end we hope," said Craig. "We remain hopeful that someone at some point realizes that these kind of shows have a viability in a way that can transfer to HBO specials, or movies, or our own show that is consistently running on Comedy Central. I love touring, I really do, but there is a recovery period when you get off the road."