“Nobodies of Comedy”
They’re nobodies, but somebody loved them. It was a thousand fans at the State Theatre for “Nobodies of Comedy”, a series of shows for experienced performers to become better known outside of the comedy circuit.
MC Eric Lyden opened with a formless twenty minutes that had some good one-liners, like the thoughts of Michael Jackson’s son as he was dangled from a balcony (“If you’re my Dad, just f—drop me.”). He also said he was a poor stalker (“After twenty minutes I knocked on her door and said that I’m going to take off.”)
Jamie Lissow did thirty minutes about his life, including remarks about his Jamaican paper boy (“The paper is always late, but it is rolled really well.”). The likeable comic avoided offense, even when talking about condoms or religion (“My priest was so dull, the statue of Jesus on the cross kept moving his arm to look at his watch.”)
Modi did an energetic twenty-five minutes that included new material about the war. His observations were mostly barbs, aimed at exercise classes, cruise ships, and (predictably) at the French
Mark Gross had a strong start to his thirty minutes, describing offbeat subjects like listening to a parrot speak Japanese. He drew upon what appeared to be years of partying, with remarks like, “If you win strip poker with waitresses from Denny’s, you still lose.”
Later in the set Gross became, well, a bit gross as he spoke about subjects like oral sex. His remarks were not out of line for the largely younger audience, but it was a shame to waste a theater appearance with material aimed at late night drinking crowds.
--Dave Howell, 3/03
(This article first appeared in The Morning Call newspaper.)
MC Eric Lyden opened with a formless twenty minutes that had some good one-liners, like the thoughts of Michael Jackson’s son as he was dangled from a balcony (“If you’re my Dad, just f—drop me.”). He also said he was a poor stalker (“After twenty minutes I knocked on her door and said that I’m going to take off.”)
Jamie Lissow did thirty minutes about his life, including remarks about his Jamaican paper boy (“The paper is always late, but it is rolled really well.”). The likeable comic avoided offense, even when talking about condoms or religion (“My priest was so dull, the statue of Jesus on the cross kept moving his arm to look at his watch.”)
Modi did an energetic twenty-five minutes that included new material about the war. His observations were mostly barbs, aimed at exercise classes, cruise ships, and (predictably) at the French
Mark Gross had a strong start to his thirty minutes, describing offbeat subjects like listening to a parrot speak Japanese. He drew upon what appeared to be years of partying, with remarks like, “If you win strip poker with waitresses from Denny’s, you still lose.”
Later in the set Gross became, well, a bit gross as he spoke about subjects like oral sex. His remarks were not out of line for the largely younger audience, but it was a shame to waste a theater appearance with material aimed at late night drinking crowds.
--Dave Howell, 3/03
(This article first appeared in The Morning Call newspaper.)