Comedy for the Weekend Warrior

Comedy this weekend is stuffed tighter than that turkey you devoured last week.

hurts so good

Let’s take a look…

Friday, Dec. 3

7:00PM – Toiling In Obscurity | The Dive, 947 E Passyunk

8:00PM – Activity Book in ‘Metal Men’ + Asteroid | PHIT/Shubin, 407 Bainbridge

8:00PM – The N Crowd | Actors Center, 257 N Third

8:00PM – Ted Alexandro | Helium, 2031 Sansom

8:30PM – Jay Barron | Laff House, 221 South St

9:30PM – King Friday + The Amie & Kristen Show | PHIT/Shubin, 407 Bainbridge

10:30PM – Ted Alexandro | Helium, 2031 Sansom

10:45PM – Jay Barron | Laff House, 221 South St

11:00PM – Sketch Up or Shut Up | PHIT/Shubin, 407 Bainbridge

 

Saturday, Dec. 4

7:30PM – Tongue & Groove | Underground @ Ron’s, 1012 E Southampton, Wyndmoor

7:30PM – ComedySportz | Adrienne Playground, 2030 Sansom

8:00PM – Activity Book in ‘Metal Men’ + Asteroid | PHIT/Shubin, 407 Bainbridge

8:00PM – Ted Alexandro | Helium, 2031 Sansom

8:00PM – Jay Barron | Laff House, 221 South St

9:00PM – Rosen & Milkshake + Amie & Kristen Show | Vesuvio, 736 S 8th

9:00PM – Rookie Card | Atomic City Comics, 640 South St

9:30PM – Camp Woods + Brick Penguin (DC) | PHIT/Shubin, 407 Bainbridge

10:00PM – ComedySportz | Adrienne Playground, 2030 Sansom

10:00PM – Jay Barron | Laff House, 221 South St

10:30PM – Ted Alexandro | Helium, 2031 Sansom

11:00PM – Improv Jam | PHIT/Shubin, 407 Bainbridge

11:55PM – Jay Barron | Laff House, 221 South St

 

Sunday, Dec. 5

6:00PM – Jason Grimley’s PHIT 101 Grad Show | PHIT/Shubin, 407 Bainbridge

7:00PM – Improv Incubator | CEC, 3500 Lancaster Ave

8:00PM – Comedy University feat. Women with Class | PHIT/Shubin, 407 Bainbridge

Comedian Profile: Alan Williams

Editors Note: In this segment, we step away from the stage and take a look at comedians in the Philadelphia area… Learn a little more about where they come from, what they do while not performing and of course the question we all ask ourselves… Why do we do it?

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ALAN WILLIAMS

Might have seen him in: The N Crowd, Ladies & Gentlemen, Meadowbrook Public Library Storybook Players (2nd place overall for 2010 Troika)

Hangs his hat in: Old City

Stomping Grounds: Ithaca, NY

Pays the Bills: Biopharmaceutical Marketing

Other Hobbies: reading, writing, ‘rithmetic… and karaoke

Why Improv?

Improv is my sanity saver. When the drudgery of my day-to-day life starts to bring me down, improv lifts me up again.

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If you know someone who you think should be profiled, we’d love to hear about them.

PJIs Cecily and Gwendolyn run begins tonight

Over the past few months, the PHILADELPHIA JOKE INITIATIVE has presented a number of single night showcases, including the Mike Connor Travelogues and a fundraiser featuring music from the Hopper Brothers. Beginning tonight, this small production company launches its largest endeavor to date, and plans to do so with a little Victorian class.

CECILY & GWENDOLYN’S FANTASTICAL BALLOON RIDE opens tonight and runs through January 31st at the Latvian Society in Northern Liberties.

The show, featuring KELLY JENNINGS and KAREN GETZ in the eponymous roles of Cecily and Gwendolyn, is a fully improvised imagining of two slightly mad Victorian ladies who fancy themselves anthropologists. When all is said and done and chronometers have been synced, each evening explores the notion that these time traveling ladies find themselves 175 years through space and time via their hot air balloon in present day Philadelphia – where each night’s audience will serve as lab rats of sorts… from whom they’ll extract their conclusions about the “modern” society in which we live.

I was fortunate enough to attend a private performance this past weekend, and can honestly say that I’ve never been quite so excited to see how audiences will react to a show. Karen and Kelly (as pictured L to R above) have taken the idea of audience participation, and replaced it with complete audience immersion. The entire show is an evening that we’re all invited to take part in. Everything from the set to the seating, the costumes to the conversation, all welcome the audience member in, begging to be engaged, hoping to engross. Sitting there with only a handful of people, I’ve never felt so unconscious of my contribution. Getz and Jennings do a remarkable job of captivating with ease. Something that while I know from talking to them has taken years to develop, comes across as simple and organic.

As you can tell, I’m really excited about how it all drew me in and am excited to hear how audiences respond to this level of participatory immersion.

If you’re interested in reading  more about the show, more can be found in this recent writeup in the CityPaper. You can also get to know these ladies by watching their YouTube videos or by joining them on Facebook.

During its three week run (Thursdays through Sundays, excepting tonight’s opening) the show will play host to a myriad of comedy guests, including local talent the likes of Chip Chantry, Cubed, Rare Bird Show, BWP, Leo Callahan, the N Crowd, Real Housewives of Philadelphia and ComedySportz Improvised Shakespeare as well as Hello Laser from the Magnet Theater in NYC.

CECILY & GWENDOLYN’S FANTASTICAL BALLOON RIDE
THE LATVIAN SOCIETY | 531 N 7TH ST
JANUARY 13-31, 2010 | 7PM
PRESENTED BY PJI WITH SUPPORT FROM FREEFALL PRODUCTIONS