I'm a big fan of standup comedy. At the same time, I've rarely been to a standup show; or rather, I've never been to a standup show I've actually wanted to see. My only forays into the standup scene have involved comedy clubs with mostly atrocious acts made even worse by the ever-charming two-drink minimum. I have fond memories of those nights, but they mostly revolve around watching drunk and obnoxious hecklers getting kicked out.
The "problem" with standup comedy these days – and Patton Oswalt has expounded on this much more coherently than I – is the venue. In other words, comedy clubs are shitty, attract shitty acts, and a shitty audiences who drink their shitty two drinks minimum. So, it's very encouraging to see comics go out and play rock venues instead. Just pay for the ticket and enjoy the show.
For some reason, I thought the format of Eugene Mirman and Friends would involve some openers, followed by Mirman himself headlining the night with at least an hour or so of material. I spoke with Eugene later that night who told me indeed the format that night had been a little different. Unfortunately, this was not the case, and I missed the beginning of the show, waltzing through the doors in the middle of Kurt Braunohler's act. I was actually surprised and a little worried as all the openers had acts that left a little to be desired. Braunohler showed a great mockumentary on the Brooklyn Brigade, but his sound effects on his life were painful to sit through. I wanted it to be over five seconds into the bit. Pete Holmes had a very high-speed act, but his bit on breast milk dominated his set and was far too long and redundant to keep me interested. Finally, being a fan of Jonathan Katz (mostly through Home Movies), it was interesting to see him do a standup act, but it was unfortunately littered with classic Jokes instead of observational stuff.
However, when Eugene took the stage, all my fears quickly vanished. It's pointless for me to go over his routine in a review, so suffice to say that Eugene had by far the funniest and strongest act of the night. As funny as he is on his albums, his stage presence really adds to his material. I was a little disappointed that his set was so short (only thirty minutes), however the hilarity of his recovered childhood school documents as well as a couple of surprises along the way more than made up for it.
So mozy on down to see Eugene when you get a chance. Whether he does a thirty minute or an hour-long set, rest assured that you're in for a treat.
Artist:
www.eugenemirman.com/
