In case you missed it, sketch group ManiPedi was featured as the cover story for last week’s Philadelphia Weekly. Pick up a copy while they are still in newsstands around the city and read the article online.
A new open mic will begin this Thursday night at Roosevelt’s Pub (2220 Walnut St. Philadelphia). The new open mic promises that it takes place in a private room at Roosevelt’s with a real stage, no loud TVs and drink specials every week! Sign ups begin at 7:30 with the mic starting at 8.
The next Camp Woods Plus at L’etage (624 S. 6th St.) will be next Thursday, December 6th and will feature sketch comedy from New York group We’re Matt Weir as well as Philly groups Daring Daulton and American Breakfast. As always, the show will be headlined with a set of brand new sketches by Camp Woods.
This Saturday, October 27, the Grey Lodge (6235 Frankford Avenue) will present The Hardy-Har-Harvest, a free show featuring stand-up from James Hesky, John Kensil, Benny Michaels, Erin Mulville, and Nicole Yates. The show will also highlight a selection of seasonal beers for purchase. In the spirit of the show, we thought we’d ask the comedians to tell us a little bit about their favorite seasonal (adult) beverages. Here’s what they had to say:
Erin Mulville: Fall is the best time to get a beer at the Grey Lodge. My favorite seasonal beer is Dogfish Head Punkin Ale. It’s delicious and reminds me of my best friends, who gave it out as favors at their Halloween wedding. Also, like Darryl Charles, I’m excited by the creation of Pinnacle Pumpkin Pie vodka.
Benny Michaels: I got into Victory Summer Love this past year. I’ve always been fond of Victory and drinking their seasonal beer during my favorite time of the year was badder and deffer than old school LL. Especially when I didn’t have to pay for it. Wish I had put some aside for the winter but I lack self-control.
John Kensil: I always liked Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale. This past weekend, I was in Chicago for an appearance and my cousin bought a six-pack of it. (We have a family tradition of finishing a six-pack then going up to our hotel roof and throwing fluorescent light bulbs down at morons on the street and pretending to be the Greek god Zeus nailing them with lightning bolts.) But this weekend the Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale tasted really thick and filling (like syrup and air fresheners mixed together) so I went out and had a local brew at the Half Acre Beer Company called Daisy Cutter Pale Ale. It was really good. Oh, and today I had a Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale on Tap at Smegma’s Bar and it was really good. I guess the six I had was earlier was skunky.
James Hesky: I definitely like Fall beers as well. Flying Fish Octoberfish is one of my favorites, plus there are a lot of great pumpkin beers. I also like Winter beers, but I don’t know if that’s because I prefer hoppy beers or because I always feel like it’s more socially acceptable to just sit at home and get drunk when it’s cold outside.
Nicole Yates: I’m a huge beer fan, no doubt. I look forward to the Dogfish Punkin Ale as well and, frankly, I wish they made more of it so I could try and hoard some for the coming colder weather. Pyramid Brewing, out of Northern California, has a nice Oktoberfest (I wish they could sell their wares here in PA, I think they are still dealing with our wacky liquor laws) too. There is just something about hoppy beers that are like the grownup version of comfort food and then when you add in the lovely aromas of caramel, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, it’s like a drunken trip down holiday lane (without the DUI conviction).
Last week, James Hesky was crowned Philly’s Phunniest Person by Helium Comedy Club. We told you about it here (where you can watch his winning set from the finals). Now, you can read this interview with Hesky on CityPaper’s Critical Mass Blog. Enjoy.
Tomorrow night, Comedy Dreamz returns to The Barbary (951 Frankford Ave. Philadelphia) for a night of comedy featuring Body Dreamz, Aaron Hertzog, Carolyn Busa, Steve Miller-Miller, The Feeko Brothers, Alejandro Morales and more! Doors open at 9pm, the show starts at 10, with a dance party following.
Mani Pedi will be hosting another ManiParty on Saturday, September 1 to help cover their travel costs to the upcoming Boston Comedy Arts Festival. Joining them on the show (at L’etage, 624 S. 6th St.) will be fellow BCAF performers Camp Woods and The Feeko Brothers.
Meg & Rob have announced a new show, dubbed “The Next Final Show” set for November 1, 2012. The first show from the duo since Meg Favreau moved to Los Angeles last year. Keep your eyes out for more details about this must see reunion show in the near future.
In meta-news, Collaborate Philly did an interview with us (more specifically, with editor Aaron Hertzog) about our website and the Philadelphia comedy scene. You can read all about us here.
Last night, in front of a packed crowd at Helium Comedy Club, ten comedians performed for the rights to be the seventh person named Philly’s Phunniest Person. When the laughter cleared, James Hesky’s name would be the one added to that list. Hesky, host of The Monthly Hour with James Hesky at Philly Improv Theater, and co-host (with fellow finalist Darryl Charles) of CheaPodcast, has been an active member of the Philly comedy community for years and the announcement of his name as winner was met with cheers of joy and chants of his name from his fellow comedians. Second place in the contest went to Pat House, and the third place finisher was Chip Chantry.
Last night, the seventh annual Philly’s Phunniest Person Contest kicked off at Helium Comedy Club. This year, over 150 comedians will compete in 11 preliminary rounds for the chance to move on to the semi-finals, and eventually the finals, where one will be named Philly’s “Phunniest”. Last night, James Hesky, Omar Scruggs, and Vince Patterson moved on to the next round. The competition continues next Monday, June 11 and the opening round continues on Sunday and Monday nights until August 13 (full schedule here).
This weekend marked the debut of two new Philly Improv Theater House Teams. Davenger (formerly Codename Westmarch) and Hot Dish (formerly Codename Strider) took the stage with UCB team Surfing Friday night to two sold out shows and returned to packed housed at PHIT again on Saturday night. If you missed it, you can read the two new teams introduce themselves to the world through Witout here (Davenger) and here (Hot Dish).
This weekend Philly Improv Theater will host the third annual Duofest, a celebration of improv duos from across the country. Shows start Thursday night and continue through until Sunday. Improv workshops taught by Jill Bernard, Joe Bill, Rachel & Dave, and Twinprov are also being held. Also – be on the lookout for more Duofest Interviews this week, here on Witout.
The lineup and date for the next Camp Woods Plus at L’etage (6th and Bainbridge) has been announced. Their next monthly show will be Wednesday, June 13th at 8:00PM and will feature brand new sketches from Camp Woods as well as guests The New Dreamz and Angel Yau.
Friday, June 15th, Mani Pedi will host their second ManiParty, this time at Connie’s Ric Rac (1132 S. 9th St.) Mani Pedi will welcome guests Carolyn Busa and American Breakfast. Doors for the event open at 8:00PM and the show begins at 9, with a dance party following the comedy. Tickets for ManiParty are $10 and include free ice cream.
Tonight starts a four-week run for Philly Improv Theater at the Shubin Theater. The month of May will be jam packed with sketch, stand-up, and improv from Philly’s best alternative comedians. Tonight, The Monthly Hour with James Hesky kicks things off at 9pm followed by stand-up comedy showcase Hey Everybody (which has free admission if you go to the 9pm show.) You can see more of PHIT’s schedule online.
Also tonight, Rookie Card will have their final Monday show at the Raven Lounge before moving their monthly improv show to Saturday night. The show will feature improv from Rookie Card and Grimmachio and stand-up from Tim Butterly and all kicks off at 9pm.
Tuesday will bring another Free Improv at Connie’s Ric Rac to the venue in the Italian Market. This month, the show will feature sets from Deleted Scenes, Bed Savage, Self-esteem Motivators, Fowl Play, ApocaLips, Kait and Andrew, and Ralph Jess Jason Emily and Mike. The show starts at 9pm and is free, of course.
6ABC recently ran this story about Helium Comedy Club and their upcoming Philly’s Phunniest Person contest. The video shows many local stand-ups at a recent open mic at the club. Keep an eye out for appearances by Pat House, Alex Grubard, Ed McGonigal, Chase Wexler, David Ray Agyekum, James Hesky, and Aaron Hertzog.
Tomorrow night at The Twisted Tail (2nd and South St. Philadelephia) Comedy, Food, Sports returns for another Philadelphia show. This month’s show will feature the comedy of James Hesky along with 97.5 The Fanatic’s Jason Ashworth. Hosted by Patrick Dodd, Comedy, Food, Sports is a talk show featuring discussions on the three topics between the host and his guests. For a little taste of the comedy you’ll get check out this video from Hesky below.
Comedy, Food, Sports is FREE – tomorrow night, March 30th at 8PM at The Twisted Tail – 2nd and South St. Philadelphia.
The second annual March Madness Comedy Competition kicked off last night at The Famous International Variety Show at Drinker’s West. Moving on to the second round of the competition are: David Ray Ageykum, Josh Guarino, David Primiano, Rachel Bensen, Erik Whitacre, John Deal, David Terruso, Mike Logan. The first round continues tonight at Laughs on Fairmount (The Urban Saloon, 2120 Fairmount Ave. Philadelphia).
Last Friday at The Sideshow this year’s Troika competition kicked off with a show pitting The Mother Truckers (Jessica Snow, Mandy Dollar, Sue Taney) against Rogue (Alan Williams, Corin Wells, Mike Butler) and WKKM Channel 17 Action News (Karen Coleman, Katherine Banford, Maureen Costello). The Mother Truckers emerged victorious moving on to compete for the 2012 Troika championship. Round two of Troika this Friday at The Sideshow will feature Operators Standing By (Bert Archer, Michael Hochman, Steve Cohen) 3/9 (Alli Soowal, BJ Ellis, Katie Monaco) and 3AM (Jason Stockdale, Maggy Keegan, Rob Baniewicz)
This Wednesday brings a pair of great independent comedy shows for you to enjoy. Camp Wood Plus returns to L’etage (624 S. 6th St.) and will feature Camp Woods along with Animosity Pierre and Pink Axe.Doogie Horner’sMinistry of Secret Jokes takes its’ usual spot at Fergie’s Pub (1214 Sansom St.) and promises more of the same comedy, games, and ritual.
This Friday marks the premiere of a new regular show from Philly Improv Theater House Team Mayor Karen upstairs at Plays and Players Theater (1714 Delancey St.). The show will feature James Hesky, Medic and music from Friends with Murder. The show will cost $10 and proceeds will go to a Mayor Karen festival travel fund.
Philly Improv Theater’s run of shows at The Shubin continues this week with a full schedule of shows. This Wednesday, at 10pm you can catch a preview of The Monthly Hour with James Hesky, the new variety show taking over for Chip Chantry’s One Man Show (with Special Guests) which ended its run last week. The Monthly Hour promises sketch and stand-up comedy from some of the city’s best performers, as well as a topical monologue from Hesky, and sketches produced by the show’s team of writers (which include Jim Grammond, Pat House, Mary Radzinski, Darryl Charles, and Mike Gleason).
This Wednesday, Helium Comedy Club will feature Helium’s Philthiest Comedy Show – a night of mature themed comedy from Mike Rainey, Darryl Charles, Dave Terruso, Rob DeSantis, with David James as the Headliner and some special dirty guests!
The second annual March Madness Comedy Competition kicks off at the open mic at Drinker’s West on Sunday March 11. This year 72 comedians will compete at Drinker’s West, Laughs on Fairmount, Noche, and The Raven Lounge to be named champion of the tournament style competition.
On Thursday, March 15, Kenny Zimlinghaus returns to Philadelphia on his 2012 End of the World Tour. Presented by Corey Cohen Comedy, the show will be held at The Tin Angel (20 South 2nd St. Philadelphia) and will feature Zimlinghaus (known for being the co-host of “Wake Up! With Taylor” on Sirius and XM) along with John McKeever. You can purchase tickets for the event online.
Finally, we leave you with two quick videos to help brighten up your day. The first is from Bird Text and Steve Gerben and the second is from Center City Comedy. Enjoy.
