The Show From Heaven

I could cry right now.

I got a chance to host a show tonight for City of Light Productions at the Kraine Theatre. The thing is I found out about the gig the day before and I had NO IDEA what the heck kind of show it would be. I was just told to show up at the place two hours before. For a second, I thought I was going to be kidnapped and sold into sexual slavery.

So I'm super nervous about the whole deal. And I get to the venue and it's this huge variety show of sketch comedy/improv comedy/music/play readings. It's all dancers and singers who have this breadth of experience and my credits involve being on a game show, hosting a comedy show for 8 months, and making my rounds on the "illustrious" open mic circuit. Sure I have the President Jackson show but the past Monday was rough and I did two open mic sets Tuesday where I just crashed (and paid $12 to bomb - not a pretty picture).

The producers tell me to have fun but not be dirty. In case you saw from previous entries, I'm not good at not being dirty. I'm feverishly going through my notebooks to piece together something that will appeal to people who are really there to see music and dance (i.e. the tangible talents). As a rule of thumb, the MC is barely supposed to be seen and heard. And lone stand-up comedians always fail at these types of shows.

I wait backstage, trying to be nonchalant and the DJ calls up my name to host. I go out there and do some minor crowd-work then do some jokes...and the audience gets me! All the jokes and riffs actually hit. I thought I died and went to comedy heaven.

I swear everyone in the audience was fantastic! At the end of the show, people actually chanted my name! It was the first time I heard "CALVIN!" without it being followed by "Get off the stage!"

The whole show was amazing as well! April Brucker did her ventriloquist bit, which I always enjoy. Kristine Petruchione (I'm so sorry for effing up your name numerous times!) did a great burlesque number. Punch 59 was a fantastic sketch group that had a Christians vs. Jews bit. There was Jared the Conjurer who managed to escape from a burlap sack inside a cardboard box. Kara Ayn did a reading of 23, which was soooo funny (and also dirty, I don't know why I was worried about my own stuff). No Laugh Track Required did some great improv. Elizabeth Styles performed a new song off an album she shopped around (it was excellent!). And Lala closed the show with a killer song and dance number.

This is what a showcase should be. It was great to see talented people get rewarded for being talented. I'm tired of seeing comics get on stage and make in-jokes to other comics. I'm so tired of this pervasive stand-up scene where everything is one big circle jerk. And it was great to not just do real material, but to do real material that I know is solid!

I will try to put up some links and there may be a Youtube vid floating around soon.

Thank you so much Juan and Jason for giving me the opportunity to host. The whole show was amazing!

And big-ups to my pal Warren for coming to see the show. I really appreciate it man!