It’s tonight! The third edition of my monthly comedy show that I’m producing with Small Pond Entertainment. I feel lucky to have such a great space, and all the comedians who have done the show so far have been great. Tonight is another awesome lineup, with Giulia Rozzi, John Mulaney, Dan Mintz, and Demetri Martin!
It’s a fundraiser for independent theatre, and tonight will bring in a lot of support for these companies. That is the main reason this show is happening, but not the only one.
I do theatre and comedy. When I go see indie theatre, the audience members remind me of a lot of the live comedy fans I know. It’s like a real-world The Parent Trap, and it’s up to me to reunite the twinsies. Before I did this show, I would daydream about comedy fans seeing theatre, and theatre fans seeing comedy. In the daydream, they are enjoying themselves and are very close to holding hands.
When I started doing comedy, a lot of my theatre friends came out to see me, and it was a new experience for them. For most of them, they had a good time and would return again and again (unless there was a steep cover and 2 drink minimum).
Some were stubborn. My ex-boyfriend, an actor, dismissed standup comedy as “weird” because “Why can’t the comedian just tell the jokes? Why talk to the audience? It’s uncomfortable! I don’t want you to know I’m here.” And then he would switch topics to theatre where he hoped to someday create a production with Brechtian elements. “Not wannabe Brecht though. Fourth wall, YUCK!” (That last quote was paraphrased, but accurate).
When I first moved to the city, I dated a comedian. I hadn’t started comedy yet, and for our first date, he took me to the Comedy Cellar. I remember Mulaney was there that night! I had seen live comedy before, but not much. After that night, I was instantly a huge comedy fan. I would go and WATCH my boyfriend at almost every open mic he did and I had a great time. Seriously. Even those who bombed were interesting to observe. They were never up there for more than five minutes, so it was always bearable.
I would see his comedy, and he would go to shows with me. We saw everything on Broadway, but then we would also go see some “wacky” stuff at BAM, which he tolerated and sometimes even enjoyed more than I thought he would. He managed to follow Thomas Ostermeier’s Hedda Gabler without even having heard of Hedda before.
I once asked him, “You like Edward Scissorhands, right?” “Yeah, is there a screening somewhere?” “Well, no. But Edward Scissorhands the ballet is playing at the Howard Gilman.”
We saw Cymbeline, and before the show I asked him if should give him a plot synopsis to help him understand, as it is not a well known Shakespeare. He shoved his hands over his ears and said “No! Please don’t ruin the ending!”
The point is, every week we would see at least one thing at a theatre or at Comedy Cellar or at Carolines. How were we ever able to afford that? Oh well. The theatre/comedy combo is a great match. Hope you can come out tonight and see for yourself!
HOLD FOR THE LAUGHS
November 19th, 10pm
The Sage Theatre (711 Seventh Ave between 47th and 48th)
Giulia Rozzi
John Mulaney
Dan Mintz
Demetri Martin
Hosted by Margie Kment
All proceeds go to support indie theatre companies. There’s a free networking event from 9:30-10pm with members of the NYC indie theatre community. Comedians welcome!
We’re matchmaking theatre and comedy! Is it magic? It is something!
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