This past Monday, Connie’s Ric Rac played host to a little more than just the regularly scheduled Bedtime Stories.
Host Gregg Gethard’s brother, UCB fave Chris Gethard, is currently embarking on a cross-country comedy tour in an RV with some of his comedian friends… performing shows and perpetrating all kinds of general lunacy.
While tweeting from the road, a little smack talking sprung up between Philly comic Dan Eastman and Gethard, which led to a fight challenge. Eastman just happened to be on stage exactly when the RV pulled into the Italian Market.
After some grappling, Gethard (having studied Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) secured a solid choke hold and Eastman tapped out – the bout was finished… Or so the crowd thought.
During the battle, some cheering had started in the crowd for local sketch group Camp Woods. Gethard called them out on the mic, and member JP Boudwin leaped on stage. Soon, the stage was filled with members from each side. Camp Woods vs AmericaGethard. A frenzy ensued, with the NYCers claiming final victory.
Catch the fight in the video below, and be sure to check out Gethard’s comment in his blog post.
Keeping you up to date on what’s going on in comedy
The resignation of editor Brian Howard isn’t the only change over at CityPaper… RYAN CAREY of Critical Mass has started a new weekly look at Philadelphia’s comedy scene, LOL With It. And in his inaugural post, he chats with none other than CHIP CHANTRY.
Some exciting news from CHRIS COTTON and the gang at CENTER CITY COMEDY. LLC papers have been filed and they’ve made it official. Congratulations!
How appropriate it’s FF. Because if you haven’t discovered them yet, be sure to check out IT’S ALWAYS FUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA. A new local comedy blog that’s already got some great content. Oh, and check ‘em out on Facebook too.
Last weekend, PJI debuted A VERY SPECIAL LADIES & GENTLEMEN CHRISTMAS SPECIAL. And special it was. I was there for all three shows, and they were fantastic. Phillyist agrees, calling the show “fresh, funny & unexpected.” Just three more chances to catch it this weekend before it closes.
The schedule for NCCAF (North Carolina Comedy Arts Festival) has been posted. Seven Philadelphia improv groups have been slated to perform – Jessica Tandy, Rintersplit, Adrift, The Ones, N Crowd, Cubed & Rookie Card… as well as four sketch groups – Camp Woods, Bare Hug, Emily & Micah McGraw and Meg & Rob (with 2 shows!) and also stand up Aaron Hertzog. My apologies if I missed any locals while scanning the list.
And across the country on the same weekend, more Philly comedians will be tearing it up at SFIT (Seattle Festival of Improv Theater). Making their SFIT debuts will be the Amie & Kristen Show as well as MattAnd.
Be sure to keep up to date on Philly comedy happenings by following us on Twitter and liking us on Facebook.
Following their personal record-length run last month, the PHILLY IMPROV THEATER is set to kick off its December shows this week with some of your old favorites, a little reformatting of familiar formats and some great new comedy.
Aaron Hertzog’s Hey Everybody! continues its newly minted weekly slot, surrounded by the fun usual suspects like Guilty Pleasures, The Bully Pulpit and Rant-O-Wheel… as well as new faces like TV Party! and Chip Chantry’s One Man Show, relocated from its former home at The Khyber.
Fans can scout up and coming talent from area colleges in Comedy University, formerly known as Improv Comedy PhD, and now moved to Sundays.
PHIT welcomes friends from afar, with Brick Penguin bringing a little DC our way and the Philly premier of Magnet’s newest house team Brick, featuring local improviser and PHIT director/instructor Amie Roe.
Cagematch winners Six-Fisted Dynamo look to hold on to their newly claimed title against the comic stylings of Grimacchio.
PHIT introduces Sketch Up or Shut Up’s improv step-sibling with its new instructor-hosted weekly improv jam.
Those Hopper Brothers are back again this holiday season, this time with their Happy Magic Fun Time Show.
And finally, house team Activity Book debuts “Metal Men” – a special run of shows featuring the alter-egos of superheroes from a failed comic book… exploring the comedy of not being so superly awesome.
The whole thing is topped off with shows from all of the house teams and sketch comedy from Camp Woods. It promises to be a jam-packed, fun-filled couple of weeks.
Here’s the full run down…
Wednesday, December 1st
8:00PM Guilty Pleasures hosted by Brendan Kennedy – $10
9:30PM TV Party! hosted by Rob Baniewicz & Paul Triggiani – $10
Thursday, December 2nd
8:00PM Hey Everybody! hosted by Aaron Hertzog – $10
9:30PM CAGEMATCH – Six-Fisted Dynamo vs. Grimacchio – $10
Friday, December 3rd
8:00PM Activity Book Presents “Metal Men” + Asteroid! – $10
9:30PM King Friday + The Amie & Kristen Show – $10
11:00PM Sketch Up or Shut Up – FREE!
Saturday, December 4th
8:00PM Activity Book Presents “Metal Men” + Asteroid! – $10
9:30PM Camp Woods + Brick Penguin (DC) – $10
11:00PM Improv Jam hosted by Mike Marbach & Kristen Schier – FREE!
Sunday, December 5th
8:00PM COMEDY UNIVERSITY: Women With Class + Special College Guests – $10
Monday, December 6th
8:00PM Chip Chantry’s One-Man Show (With Special Guests) – $10
Wednesday, December 8th
8:00PM The Bully Pulpit hosted by Luke Giordano – $10
9:30PM Rant-O-Wheel hosted by Jaime Fountaine – $10
Thursday, December 9th
8:00PM Hey Everybody! hosted by Aaron Hertzog – $10
9:30PM CAGEMATCH – 12/2 Winner vs. Good Cop, Bad Doctor – $10
Friday, December 10th
8:00PM Activity Book Presents “Metal Men” + Mayor Karen – $10
9:30PM Fletcher + Brick (NYC) – $10
11:00PM The Hopper Brothers’ Happy Magic Fun-Time Show – $10
Saturday, December 11th
8:00PM Activity Book Presents “Metal Men” + Mayor Karen – $10
9:30PM Camp Woods + Brick Penguin (DC) – $10
11:00PM Improv Jam hosted by Amie Roe & Greg Maughan – FREE!
Sunday, December 12th
8:00PM COMEDY UNIVERSITY: Cookiepuss (NYC) + The Rubber Chickens (University of Delaware) – $10
Tickets and additional information can be found on PHIT’s website.
ANIMOSITY PIERRE, the organizers of the PHILLY SKETCHFEST, host a sketch comedy competition tonight at Helium Comedy Club. Up and coming sketch groups each compete to earn a performance slot in PSF2010. On the bill for tonight:
Each group gets six minutes to wow the audience and the judges. The judges include Rob Baniewicz (of Meg & Rob), Alli Soowal (of Real Housewives & PHIF producer) and PSF producer Ben Maher.
Tickets are $12 (w/ two item minimum) and proceeds benefit PSF2010. Also, performers from last year’s Sketchfest get a half price discount.
PHILLY SKETCHFEST’S COMEDY COMPETITION
WED, SEPT 1 @ 8PM
HELIUM COMEDY CLUB | 2031 SANSOM ST
TICKETS: $12 | 21+
Tonight ROSE LUARDO and ANDREW JEFFREY WRIGHT host COMEDY DREAMZ, an evening of stand-up, short plays, sketch, mixed media and more.
The comedy variety show will feature Steve Gerben, the Feeko Brothers, Body Dreamz, DJ Kurt Life, Camp Woods, Hillary Rea, Sharkee Katz, DJ James University, Jayson Musson, You Are Me, A Hot Cup of Jo Jo and more.
The doors open at 9PM, with the comedy starting at 10PM. Then stick around for the dance party at 11:30PM
In commemoration of the 1999 docking of Shuttle Discovery with the International Space Station, the PHILADELPHIA JOKE INITIATIVE presents 11 Years of Space Docking. The evening will feature a veritable laundry list of comedy acts, hosted by CAMP WOODS, who will be performing their new sketch show, Equus Rex.
In addition to Camp Woods, head on down to CONNIE’S RIC RAC Saturday night for improv from NYC’s CHESTER, sketches from SECRET PANTS & BARE HUG and standup from BRENDAN KENNEDY & DOOGIE HORNER.
Posted by Matt Nelson 
