Tom Shillue’s decision to release 12 albums in 12 months proves he is a prolific comedian with confidence in his ability churn out stories. But spending a little more time in the laboratory would have benefited seventh entry Trust Your Heart.
He remained unmistakable: sporting a checkerboard suit, bow tie and his trademark pencil-thin mustache, commenting in his sardonic, understated way about a subculture of gay men who display explicit online photos of the results of anal fisting.
Most casual comedy fans know Allan Sherman as the guy who wrote the summer camp parody “Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah.” Cohen argues for a much more robust legacy, one that puts Sherman at the forefront of opening up American society to ethnic humor.
If Orvedahl is a smart guy living in a stupid person’s world, Cayton-Holland is the sensitive, learned dude surrounded by malfunctioning automatons and resigned to our eventual oblivion.
What’s striking about Holmes’s comedy is that even when he’s venturing into the more personal areas of his life, he doesn’t ever tone down the silliness. And he shouldn’t.
Gaffigan may feel overwhelmed, but part of his message is that all parents feel similarly. And every once in a while, when he watches some of those other “perfect” parents, he sees them lose it and scream at their kids, and it makes him feel a little better.
Given Maron’s history of exploiting his life in his comedy, the honesty on display in Attempting Normal isn’t surprising, but the frankness is still striking.
Moontower is already doing just about everything else right. Programming is varied, imaginative and occasionally inspired. Talent is both compensated and treated well, even if some headlining performances don’t quite draw as hoped.
Relying solely on huge names to fill large theaters may ensure efficient returns on title sponsors’ financial investments, but doing so won’t shine a spotlight on worthy local performers or build a solid reputation as a “cool” festival destination.
Audience members dropping in then moving on isn’t much of a problem at live-music events or even at comedy bar shows with ample standing room and doors situated far from the stage. In other setups, however, such ebb and flow can wreak havoc.
If the overriding mission is to introduce quality upcoming talent to casual comedy consumers—while keeping things financially sustainable in the process—they’re impressively ahead of the learning curve.
(Paradisiac Publishing)
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