Back in the Groove

The holidays were overwhelming, full of work and family obligations at a level I haven't experienced for a number of  years. The extra contract came with a big December event. The holidays required multiple visits to in-laws and an extra "yes" or two that I didn't really want to give. Still, it was mine to manage, and I did so poorly. I caught whooping cough, which laid me up for a bit, and I had a tidal wave of emotional scenarios to ride out. All in all, I'm happy to say I was even able to watch live comedy through the past two months.

Now I have pages and pages of notes, and no blogs to show for them.

There were some really great shows that I will be sharing with you: Rachel Feinstein, Orlando Jones, Brian Posehn and Bob DiBuono were here. Locally, there are new open mics and scripted productions and, coming all too soon, a farewell show that will leave me sadly optimistic for one of my closest comedy friends. So much I need to write about, and yet I can't seem to get back into the swing of it.

So, here's the deal. I'm just going to start tonight and write one review per day until I get caught up, until these scribbled pages, napkins and index cards lead to something I can share with you here at the giggle.

I will always, always tell you to go to The Comedy Club and watch live comedy. Yes, I know I can sit on my couch and watch the tv, my dvds, YouTube feeds, my laptop, and I can hear jokes that way. But a live comedy experience is about more than just the jokes. There is an exchange between audience and performer, there is a contract that is upheld or annihilated. There is a unique entity that exists for a very brief moment in any live show, and your presence makes you part of it.

I am approaching the one-year anniversary of this blog, and some of the comics are beginning to come through The Club again. If you didn't catch them before, but found something in a review intriguing, come see them this time. If the show is different, if something catches me unaware, I'll write another review. Rich Vos was certainly a different experience the second time. Pat Dixon's show was made otherly by a change in venue that brought out a different crowd. Those are things I think about, and will share with you if they seem worth your time.

It's no small feat to keep a club of any kind open for 5 years, given the current finances of the average American. Mark Ippolito puts his heart and soul into The Comedy Club and I am grateful, so very grateful, that he does, because it is the place where I laugh most publicly and most consistently. It is the place where I meet the Paul Hoopers and the Carl Laboves of the world. It's the place where I see Keith Alberstadt on the same night he's appearing on Letterman. It's the place I watched a room full of people burst into both laughter and tears together while watching my friend Tiny one final time. So go to www.thecomedyclub.us and check out the upcoming schedule. Me? I'm looking forward to Dave Foley and Esther Ku, neither of whom I've seen live. There are two seasons of Kids in the Hall on my dvd shelf, and we all know how I feel about funny females. In addition, the returning favorites list is enough to make my head spin. Godfrey! Theo Von! And Brian Dunkleman! Throw in a road trip to see Paul Hooper and the phrase "March Madness" finally has some meaning for me.

And then One Girl's Giggle is going to expand.

While The Comedy Club will always hold my heart, I believe the only way we're going to sustain a real, thriving comedy scene in Rochester is if we educate and grow an audience. The media-soaked masses we have become are great for some forms of entertainment, and deathly for others. So, here in my own little corner, I'm going to offer more. There will be more reviews of local up and comers, more open mics and specialty projects. I'm going to tell you about Woody's podcast and Mikey's Goo Yard, share more on Jimmy's After Bedtime show and Pam's Comedy with Curves. I'm going to tell you about a documentary that I am supporting and a cd release party in February for another of my comic friends. I will review some projects you may not have heard about by pulling a dvd, book or cd off my personal shelves. Finally, I may toss a few of my own essays in here. It seems only fair to give others a chance to review my sense of humor, too. And, as always, I welcome reader comments and guest reviewers.

So, while it's been a tough couple of months, there's much to look forward to. There's more to write, more to praise, more to support.

More reasons to laugh, to groan, to snort, chuckle or guffaw.

But, mostly, more reasons to giggle.

See you tomorrow.

Comedy With Curves: Witty Women, All

When my friend Pam Werts was asked to produce a show with female comics, she didn't think twice about it. She knew, as do I, that there are plenty of funny ladies in Western New York and an all-female line up would bring a needed dose of estrogen to The Comedy Club. It never crossed her mind that the night wouldn't be laugh-filled and successful.

Sure enough, the first Comedy with Curves was both those things. Successful, because 83 paying fans showed up on a Sunday night - yes, even I gave up some precious NFL hours - to hear Dewey Lovett, Anna Hall, Maryanne Donnelly, Anna Phillips and Pam talk about decoy sluts, go-to lesbians, suicide lines, balls to the face and mom's moist box. Laugh-filled, because they talked about decoy sluts, go-to lesbians, suicide lines, balls to the face and mom's moist box.

Every one of these women is funny, and each of them has a style/persona all her own. Pam rocks as a host because she has a take-no-prisoners delivery and pop culture reference points that span 30+ years. From Bon Jovi to Adele, human insurance agents to Geico geckos, Pam can paint a broad stroke of ha ha across a room. Dewey is so unexpected, her tiny frame and squeaky mouse voice are a sharp contrast to her sarcasm and innuendo. MaryAnne's stylized Sad Sack is a well-crafted and honestly maintained vehicle through which to deliver her smart word play. Anna H is quirky and upbeat, with a bit of a Caroline Rhea vibe, while Anna P provides some of the most hilarious lines of the night with a "funniest girl in the break room" casualness. These women rocked the stage, and made the Comedy With Curves show an instant hit.

Next week, on Sunday December 23rd, Comedy With Curves will present its second show. There have been grumblings around the town. "It can't grow without real sponsors." "There just aren't that many funny women in upstate New York." "It can't work without a known headliner." What do my kids say? "Haters gotta' hate." Success breeds many responses; always, among the well-wishers, will be some people who, for whatever reason, don't want to acknowledge the good. That's ok. I believe in Pam. I believe in funny women everywhere and I believe in these funny women, all of whom I am blessed to call friends.

So, here's what One Girl's Giggle is gonna' do. This blog is now an official sponsor of Comedy With Curves. This blog will put up money to pay the comics, who did the first show for the love of their art and a beautiful bouquet of flowers from Pam. And I will offer to pay the $5 admission fee for the first 10 people who contact me here on Blogspot or on my Facebook page. I will call out to Dario, Mike, Kevin, Bryan, Jimmy, Woody, Austin, Nate, Tim, Vince, Mikey, Law and any other local guys in my comedy click and say, hey, come support this show. On my dime or yours. Be here for Dewey, for Anna, for the girls who have always laughed at you and made you feel supported, loved. I will ask Natalee to be my guest and sit with me in the booth, laughing away some free time before the big holiday push. I will ask you to bring family members, friends in town for festivities, even strangers who look like they could use a giggle in this season of giving.

There will be both new and familiar faces on this line-up. That's simply a matter of holiday timing, NOT because there aren't a plethora of funny women in the area. Once the new year rolls around, there will be larger sponsors, and shows will be spaced out a bit. This is not a whim, an anomoly. I can't wait to see Rich Vos's movie, "Women Aren't Funny," but I know his talented comedian wife, Bonnie McFarlane, reinforces for him every day why that title itself is just another punch line.

Women may use, process and deliver humor differently than men. There is plenty of research, scientific and informal, to explain why. You guys are peacocks and making us laugh is another way of winning our favor. We have tits and ass. Your funny bone is the last thing you care to have us arouse. And that's fine. We, the fans of comedy, are all here for the same reason: to laugh. I'm behind anyone who can give me that release, whether you pee sitting, standing up or spinning distractedly in a circle while evaluating the tilework.

Come join me at The Comedy Club on Sunday, the 23rd, at 7:30 pm, for Comedy With Curves. You won't be disappointed. At the very least, you can watch the giggle jiggles as a room full of breasts heave with laughter. Most likely, you won't be able to stop yourself from joining in.