A few columns back, I wrote about a great showcase held at NYC's The Comic Strip. Presented by About Artists Agency Founder Renee Glicker, it featured members of her impressively strong roster of talent. It's rare for me to see so many comics that I can't wait to write about in one show. Although it will take a few columns, I want to let you know about the many stellar stand-ups the evening presented.
What's unique about this agency? Instead of having a commercial department that also uses comics, or one that has wisely developed a separate comedy department (a trend that has increased as comics, as well as comedy performers, have gone to the top of the request list for auditions), this agency's strongest focus is on stand-up comics. Glicker's own background prior to branching out on her own includes working behind the scenes in comedy clubs and developing comedy rosters at other agencies. As with quite a few of today's most successful stand-ups, many performers on Glicker's diverse roster have strong acting and commercial TV and film credits in addition to their ongoing club work.
Tina Giorgi, who has appeared in clubs and festivals in addition to winning the Bud Light Fox 5 Comedy Search, has also been featured on "The Late Late Show" with Craig Kilborn. Achieving what often eludes many less adept comediennes, her set was wickedly sarcastic and edgy without coming across as negative, angry, or just plain mean. Her delivery was as dry as the perfect martini, but she still presented her material with high stage energy. Remember, if dry is also your favorite performance flavor, don't make the common mistake of thinking dry has to equal low performance energy. Thinking like that can drag down even your funniest material, unless you've got the low-energy chops of a Steven Wright or Todd Barry. Giorgi's bright, thought-provoking set had the sort of observations about being recently married and especially about the babies her friends are creating, that make her perfect for the folks casting "Sex and the City."
A number of the evening's comics also scored with material about how life has changed since Sept. 11. Comedian Arnold Acevedo, whose appearances include "Showtime at the Apollo," BET's "Comic View," and "Law & Order," is also a writer for Urban Latino Magazine. He had the funniest cabbie bit I've ever seen, regarding a Middle Eastern cab driver with 15 flags in his car who is only too happy to demonstrate his uber patriotism. Eric Ingram, who in addition to performing in most of NYC's clubs also appeared in the film "Zoolander," had a good-natured bit about money and telethons. His high-energy focus was on the funds (or at least new shoes) that should have been provided for the people who work in the WTC area and had to walk all the way home to 125th St. We all enjoyed vicariously venting with him; Ingram is a comic adept at making indignation fun.
The most fearlessly funny comic of the night was the very sharp Robert Rothstein, who has been featured on NBC's "Friday Night" and in many NYC clubs. While Rothstein's stage persona revels in the antisocial, he still had the audience with him from beginning to end, although they seemed at times more than a little guilty to be laughing at his take-no-prisoners WTC observations. He described himself as from "the Upper Middle East Side—Astoria, Queens," and observed "what go-getters the terrorists must have been." As is typical with many late-night comics, Rothstein was still in bed at 9 am on Sept. 11. He mused, however, that the Type A terrorists were "already busy preparing to have their lunch with Allah." It takes true finesse, as well as strong material, to work this type of set. As I found talking with him after the show, Rothstein is only too aware that such humor can either entertain an audience or shock them into silence. At one point, he did an ad parody—"Fly Delta, our pilots fight back"—but being sensitive to a crowd that had reached its limit, Rothstein quickly pulled back with an off-the-cuff remark: "If I keep doing this material long enough, VH-1 will do one of those 'Behind The Music'-style specials on why I failed in comedy." Even though he was choosing to work his tightrope of a set without a net, there wasn't a moment when I felt that Rothstein had lost touch with how his audience was dealing with a rough but entertaining and thought-provoking ride.
In other comedy news, returning to NYC is Eric Deskin, another comic whose savvy observations and wry sets are always welcome. Having just been featured in the film "Killing Time," which had its premiere at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival, Deskin is now commuting between his comedy club appearances and a role in the NYC production of "Love & Sex" by Marc Meyers. Deskin is another one of those multifaceted comics with great crossover skills—he's also a strong comedic actor and a familiar face in commercials and print ads. And he's great fun in this one-hour show, which also features actors from the Barrow Group and The Ensemble Studio Theatre Institute Lab. Among them are two other comedy standouts: the luminously ditzy Inna Krieger and Marco Lando, a scene-stealing, leather-clad lothario who plays the essence of every swellheaded performer you've ever met. The show has been running at the upstairs bar and performance space at Barrio (99 Stanton St.). It's an intimate space that could lend itself to many types of comedy performance. Because the initial Sunday night run was SRO, the show has just been extended, and you can reserve seats for the new dates by calling (212) 887-0951.