• This was arguably my busiest comedy week of 2019. Like most people in the NYC comedy world though, I still feel like I didn’t do enough. I’m not speaking for everyone, but for me there’s always a sense you didn’t get enough stage time, enough writing, enough showing face even when you do all that you can. This may just be a mental illness. Who knows.
Either way, my favorite thing I did this week was getting around to shooting a sketch I wrote way back in January. Since I haven’t directed anything since early April, I was more than a little rusty. The sketch just didn’t have that rhythm I was looking for and it was all my fault for not communicating my vision effectively with the very talented cast of actors I assembled (Anna E. Paone, Jeffrey Gurian, Jay Welch, Veronica Garza, Myles Toe, Joe Gorman, Steve Girard and Joan Kaufman to name them all). Luckily, I had a crew made up of Kate Nahvi, Matthew Tenenbaum and Matthew Benjamin that helped me bridge the gap (in film school, we learned the term “bridging the gap” which means executing what you envisioned when you wrote your screenplay) with punch-ups, a musicality I lack and creative shots that synthesized the thing. It’s tough to admit that things aren’t going your way but when you open yourself to other people’s ideas and collaborate, comedy can flourish. Sketch should be released on Christmas Day. You can see for yourself if it works then.
• Hit up two completely different but equally ambitious shows from NYC comedy vets (once you’ve been here for a year, you’re a vet in my eyes- sound off in the comments about how I’m wrong).
- The first show I attended was Kevin Froleiks’ Maude Team’s “Best Of” for this past season. It’s been over a year since I’ve been to UCB Hell’s Kitchen - the location is so far is my weak excuse - but every time I go, I wonder why I don’t make the trek out more often. Froleiks’ team, House of Birds, was fantastic. Sketches ranged from straight up performance based silliness (an apocalyptic wasteland is saved by the power of rock n roll) to the personification of a Chia Pet and computer (separate sketches) to absurd office grievances about air conditioning. There were well earned callbacks and the show hit my comedy sweet spot. I genuinely feel bad I didn’t go to more shows this past year. Already looking forward to the next season of Maude.
- Filmed alt comedy auteur Ben Wasserman’s SIXTH hour last night (NOTE: It was his sixth hour in the past four years- a breakneck pace that would make Louis himself sweat; yeah, I referenced Louis). Each hour of Ben’s has a different conceit and last night he did something I’ve never seen any comic or person attempt before when he tattooed himself (stick and poke method) with tattoos based on the hour of crowd work he did. What the tattoos were is not important (“a bat” was the most popular suggestion) but the performance was. Ben is fearless in a way we all imagine ourselves to be before we get onstage and mumble. He drinks ink, has whipped cream put all over himself and does an hour of crowd work (no pre-written bits for an HOUR) that never wavered. The performance was so self-assured that when the show ended no one wanted it to be over. And this was a room made up of a lot of comics. Usually after a three-minute set, people are glad the person onstage is done. Not last night. We wanted Ben to run the light. Industry, keep an eye out.
• Another excellent week for funny TV and movies. Are we in a comedy boom? It seems like we have been for awhile, so much so, that it’s hard to actively keep up with all the good stuff on streaming, network TV and in the theaters, not to mention live comedy. I might just be seeking it out. Anyway, this is what I saw this week.
- Jenny Slate’s “Stage Fright” (streaming on Netflix). I’d call this an interesting, experimental hour mixed with footage from Slate’s family that gave bits she had just performed or was about to perform extra context. It wasn’t exactly super funny but did have moments of real jubilation like whenever Slate lets out her scared squeal. She is an extremely talented performer and I’m excited to see what she does next with stand up but this is not essential viewing.
- Gilbert Gottfried documentary “Gilbert” (streaming on Hulu). This movie has been on my radar for years but it didn’t seem like something I NEEDED to catch in theaters and kind of forgot about. Well, it’s on Hulu so I saw it. Basically, it’s a peek behind the curtain of Gilbert’s brash persona. Turns out he’s a penny pinching, shy guy that keeps referring to having a wife and kid as something so surreal it feels like it’s out of “The Twilight Zone” for him. None of the behind the scenes revelations are too shocking or really much of anything other than a contrast of who he is onstage but the performance footage is fun and really shows how much he can turn it on. Some people are just so different onstage and off and this documentary is proof.
- “Little” (streaming on HBOGo). An inverse of the movie “Big” (38-year-old woman played by Regina Hall is transformed into her 13-year-old self Marsai Martin) with a fun trailer (I’m a new Issa Rae fan) that I had wanted to check out back in April. Finally caught it this weekend and I’m happy to say the movie delivers. The child actor, Marsai Martin is on-point as a high maintenance supervisor at her job and there’s even a fun cameo from Mikey Day (one of my all-time least favorite SNL cast members). Sure, the movie gets preachy in its third act but I expected it to. Check this one out if you’re the least bit curious. You’ll be pleasantly surprised.
- Did a double feature Friday night seeing “Joker” which I learned pretty fast is not a comedy. It’s really more of a rallying cry to action for medication for those who need it. Still, the comedy adjacent things in the movie were a nice touch like seeing Gulman, Maron and Morill in bit parts and the obsession with Robert DeNiro’s talk show. Honestly, the movie did some cool stuff with the restructuring of the Batman universe too. I don’t know. I kinda liked it. The scene with the stairs ruled too. I’m a sucker.
- The second movie I caught was “JoJo Rabbit” which had fun moments but with the nonstop Nazi imagery (this kid doesn’t get that Hitler is a monster! Hilarious!) and heavy handed message (we Jews ain’t so bad), it got a little tiresome. The final shot was great though. Gave me chills.
• Did three shows this week. Pretty good for me (even if I run one of them). First, I did the final edition of Jason Planitzer’s show at the Counting Room in Williamsburg. There was a very solid turnout, everyone had fun sets and it’s sad to see the show come to an end. It’s a great spot AND the venue serves bags of warm croutons.
The second show was at SugarBurg and was the second edition of FREE FRIES. We brought in Joe Gorman to host and he reined in a raucous crowd. The place was cooking but it’s an ambush show (meaning we’re performing in the bar and not in a back room) and getting people’s attention would be tough. Luckily, one standout performance from Joe and an audience materialized. I also learned one of the best tricks for an ambush show is forced applause. “Giving it up for this side of the room” and “that side of the room” are tricks everyone should have in their arsenal. Once clapping, people want to know why they’re clapping. Show them.
Final show I did was Comedy Fight Club at the Stand against Jacob Lie. I lost. None of the judges or the audience voted for me. Anna, who was sitting in the crowd did. She always does. Didn’t bother me though. I spent hours preparing, waking up at 5 AM to write jokes one day for this battle. All the jokes did reasonably well which is all I can ask for and Jacob had some gems plus an extremely strong comeback to one joke of mine that sealed the deal. Dude is just funny. To plug the show, if you haven’t been in awhile, go back to Comedy Fight Club. Matt Maran puts on one of the most fun shows in the City and when comics are on it (which they are every week), they’re always trying their hardest to succeed (no one phones this in IMO, Maran feel free to correct me), cause you know. No one wants to bomb a roast.
• Finally, shout out to Nick Pupo for putting together the “I bombed.” Facebook group. Just joined this past week and I spent hours reading comedian’s stories all of which made me laugh, cringe and relate to stories of my own bombs that I tried to block out of my memory. It’s an amazing group to lurk in and is already my favorite Facebook group.
Second shout out to an article I read on Vulture listing “Every Netflix Original Movie, Ranked.” Sure, it sounds like a listicle. No. It’s so much more. The writer, Charles Bramesco (who I do not know), ranks 300 movies that premiered on Netflix and some of the reviews of the bad ones are on part with Roger Ebert’s famous pans of bad films. This is excellent reading and will also expose you to movies I guarantee you did not know existed. Link is in the comments.
• Got a nice week ahead for myself. Going to Plainfield, NJ on Friday to see the comedy stylings of Catherine LaMoreaux and Anna Paone’s theatre troupe Dragonfly perform four one acts and then on Saturday, I’m headed to Phoenix for the week (unfortunately, missing FREE FRIES this week which is still happening- Go to it! It’s Veronica’s bday show!). In Phoenix, I’m doing Matt Micheletti’s Crescent Ballroom show on Tuesday which I’m stoked for as well as for Thanksgiving and family time and whatnot. I’m stoked for that too.
As they say, writing 7,000 words about comedy is the soul of wit
