Spit Take Saturday: Doug Stanhope

September 21, 2013
By Julie Seabaugh

Welcome to Spit Take Saturday, courtesy of Brown Paper Tickets’ Comedy Doer Julie Seabaugh and her professional comedy criticism site The Spit Take. Julie’s goal with the site is to “elevate the public perception of stand-up comedy to that of a legitimate art form, and to enable comedy criticism be taken as seriously as that of theater, film, music, food, even video games. No a**-kissing. No bias. No mercy. Just honest, unfiltered, long-form reviews written by professional, knowledgeable comedy critics.”

Every week Julie will select an entry from the site to be included on our blog and hand-pick some related events happening that week that she feels all you comedy lovers out there will appreciate.

So, without further ado, let us introduce you to this week’s Spit Take Saturday!

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Years ago at the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal, Doug Stanhope appeared on a show called Confessing It. The lineup of comedians found laughs in everything from the mildly embarrassing to genuinely soul-searching. Then came Stanhope, who told a story about a former girlfriend using the morning-after pill. His graphic description shocked a few in the room who ostensibly were there to hear people’s deep, dark secrets.

Comedy Outliers: The Push/Pull of Partnerships

September 19, 2013
By Comedy Outliers

Today we feature another guest post from Brandon Collins and Mike Brown of Comedy Outliers. Brandon and Mike offer great advice to comedians, or performers in general, on how to survive and thrive in today’s competitive artistic climate.

The Comedy Outliers have a show coming up this Saturday, September 21 at Lily O’Brien‘s in New York City. Their shows are free but we highly recommend you pick up tickets so you don’t show up to a full house.

If you’re in New York or headed that way, be sure to check out their show. It’s rare to see comedy of this calibre without a cover charge or drink minimum. That said, if you want them to continue bringing these great shows to the Big Apple, we highly encourage you to support their efforts by hitting the “Donate” button on their website.

So, without further ado, I give you Brandon and Mike of The Comedy Outliers:

“Sometimes I’m tired of seeing your face, but we work so well together!” –Confucius

Sometimes in partnerships, especially creative ones, you have conflicts. As in any pairing there are times of joy and success (which we have often talked about in past blogs) but sometimes there are disagreements and creative tensions. When you are a creative person you sometimes focus on your own specific ideas and needs. This can be tough when you are in a group or partnership that relies on compromise and equal focus.
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Comedy Outliers: Step Up Your Networking Game!

August 17, 2013
By Comedy Outliers

The Comedy Outliers have a show coming up TONIGHT at Lily O’Brien‘s in New York City. Their shows are free but we highly recommend you pick up tickets so you don’t show up to a full house.

So, without further ado, I give you Brandon and Mike of The Comedy Outliers:

We are often commended by fellow comics and show producers on our networking game. That’s a pretty good indicator that we are effective in getting the word out about our “Comedy Outliers” brand. That’s how good planning and understanding each other’s strengths and weaknesses pays off. Mike Brown is out in these streets meeting everyone and their mother telling them about this great monthly showcase he co-runs. Brandon Collins reads everything he can about successful marketing strategies to make sure the brand is reaching the masses. We both also give out hugs to those that come out to support what we are doing. What? Hugs are free. And soft when you use the right kind of fabric softener.
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Spit Take Saturday: Craig Ferguson

July 27, 2013
By Julie Seabaugh

So, without further ado, let us introduce you to this week’s Spit Take Saturday!

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If there’s anyone more deserving of the term “cheeky,” that person should promptly track down Craig Ferguson and strip the smiley-faced belt from his jolly Scottish midsection. Ever since Ferguson took over hosting duties for CBS’s The Late Late Show in 2005, he’s nightly brought viewers into his gently pompous world of crude animatronics and winking asides, broadening his American résumé beyond his bit role as the dick boss on The Drew Carey Show to include all manner of sparkly-eyed mugging.

** WARNING! This video contains language that may be offensive to some viewers. **

I’m Here to Help is the antidote to that. Both richer and harsher than the cutesy Late Late Show monologues, which years ago began to stray into a sort of in-joke schtick, Help reinforces Ferguson’s true mastery of a crowd. Sure, his public image is reflected during the credits of Help, which present a black-and-white montage of Ferguson as jet-setting rock star, complete with an entourage and private jet. Recorded at Washington, D.C.’s Warner Theatre, Help also features pre-show audience testimonials of Ferguson’s mesmerizing effect on his fans.
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Spit Take Saturday: Dylan Moran at Just For Laughs Chicago

June 22, 2013
By Julie Seabaugh

So, without further ado, let us introduce you to this week’s Spit Take Saturday!

Irish comedian Dylan Moran drew a packed house at his Friday night Just for Laughs performance at Park West. Fans of the sardonic standup lined up around the block for the chance to see the creator and star of Black Books, who performed a generous set of close to two hours, including a highly demanded encore.

Despite the cheekily underwhelming, “Let’s do a show…or something!” kicking off Moran’s show, he quickly endeared himself by displaying a surprisingly keen grasp of Chicago culture and geography, and proving himself quite fond of the city with “buildings so big you have to drive around them.” References to Wicker Park and Logan Square (Okay, he called it Logan Park, but he still gets props for trying) and a clear appreciation for Chicago’s Italian beef/sausage combo were a welcome change from out-of-town performers who seem to not even know where they are.
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Comedy Outliers: That’s A Brand Name!

June 21, 2013
By Comedy Outliers

The Comedy Outliers have a show coming up this Saturday, June 22 at Lily O’Brien‘s in New York City. Their shows are free but we highly recommend you pick up tickets so you don’t show up to a full house.

So, without further ado, I give you Brandon and Mike of The Comedy Outliers:

We were recently hired to produce a private comedy show for a private organization that had an active membership of over one hundred people. The representatives who hired us had been to our “Comedy Outliers” show multiple times and were hoping we could bring the same fun, high grade comedy to a private fundraising event they were having for their group. We were very excited by this opportunity and worked very hard to book a venue that could comfortably accommodate their group size and talent that was catered to their preferences. All in all, we were thinking that it would be exactly like a standard “Outliers” show, which we hold in the highest regard.
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Comedy Outliers: A Wonderful Audience

May 16, 2013
By Comedy Outliers

The Comedy Outliers have a show coming up this Saturday, May 18 at Lily O’Brien‘s in New York City. Their shows are free but we highly recommend you pick up tickets so you don’t show up to a full house.

So, without further ado, I give you Brandon and Mike of The Comedy Outliers:

When we at Comedy Outliers produce a show and say “You’ve been such a wonderful audience” – we mean it. A wonderful audience member is appreciated and always welcomed to comedy shows! Here are a few ways you can make sure you’re one of the wonderfuls.

1. Turn off your phones

Why would you have them on anyway? Pay attention! It’s a LIVE show! You silence your phones before a movie starts, and it’s a movie. Unlike a movie, a comedy show is with real people who can’t afford to ignore you (on screen or on the street).

2. Don’t talk during the show

In the crowd, you may whisper “That’s the funniest comedian I’ve ever seen. I want to support them financially forever.” On stage, all a comic hears is “Blah blah blah – I don’t like this person’s show so I’m going to talk through it.” Comics are insecure!

Don’t talk. We’ll think it’s a heckle. Or talk, if you WANT to heckle and leave the show in tears. Don’t invite that negative energy into a show.
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Tuesday Tease: Story Time!

April 9, 2013
By James Ulness

Grab a drink and some snacks, then sit yourself down because it’s time for a story. We have a wide variety of stories for you to choose from today. We’ve got classics, history, mythology and science fiction! And all of it comes with a healthy amount of glitter and sex appeal!

New York, New York

Friday, April 12 | William Shakespeare’s Bardlesque For the first chapter of this saga we present to you Shakespeare in the tune of burlesque. This production was put together as a combination of Miss Mary Cyn’s joint loves of Shakespeare and burlesque. “I just ****ing LOVE Shakespeare” she tells me. “I think it’s really emotionally rich and fun and visceral and sexy, much like burlesque.” And this love has put together a heck of a show. Miss Mary Cyn will share the stage for the evening with Nasty Canasta (2nd Runner Up at the 2010 Miss Exotic World Pageant), Schaffer the Darklord, Rita Menweep, Iris Explosion, Scot Ferra and Michael Villiastrigo, as well as the host for the evening, Peter Aguero.

“Soliloquies will be stripped to, familiar scenes will escalate to new, naked, heights and the bard’s most beloved characters will strut and fret their way into your heart, mind, and chief reproductive organ.”

Seattle, Washington

Wednesday, May 1 and Thursday, May 2 | Indiana Bones and the Lips of Destiny: A Burlesque Adventure! Chapter Two brings us to a story that is a little more contemporary but just as classic. Inspired by a dream and brewed up be the same minds that brought you “The Last Burlesque Show You’ll Ever See,” Indiana Bones is narrative driven show featuring Kutie La Bootie, Lady Drew Blood, Flirty Sanchez, Nikola Tease-la, Blithe Nite, Eva Fairwood and Alexa Perplexa.

“When a fortune teller, with unusual methods, played by Stripped Screw Burlesque‘s Kutie La Bootie, sends Dr. Bones (Kesan Holt) and his sidekick (Sara Dipity) on an adventure to find the Lips of Destiny he encounters such mystical marvels as the Fountain of Youth and the Lost Tomb of Aphrodite. Will Dr. Bones uncover the clues necessary to find the Lips of Destiny? Or will villainess Lady Drew Blood (Stripped Screw Burlesque) succeed in her plan to take down our rugged hero and claim the Lips as her own?”
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Arts >

Spit Take Saturday: Eddie Pepitone

February 23, 2013
By Julie Seabaugh

Welcome to Spit Take Saturday, courtesy of Brown Paper Tickets’ Comedy Doer Julie Seabaugh and her professional comedy criticism site The Spit Take. Julie’s goal with the site is to “elevate the public perception of stand-up comedy to that of a legitimate art form, and to enable comedy criticism be taken as seriously as that of theater, film, music, food, even video games. No a**-kissing. No bias. No mercy. Just honest, unfiltered, long-form reviews written by professional, knowledgeable comedy critics.”

So, without further ado, let us introduce you to this week’s Spit Take Saturday!

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There’s an implication throughout “The Bitter Buddha” that comedian Eddie Pepitone, the subject of this documentary, is, well, bitter. Bitter that after a stand-up career that spans decades, he hasn’t achieved mainstream appeal or sold a TV show Seinfeld-style. That even though he’s beloved by modern comedy deities like Patton Oswalt and Sarah Silverman, it’s somehow not enough. Director Steven Feinartz begins his film with the assumption that in the five stages of grief – lamenting the loss of theoretical lucrativeness – Pepitone is stuck on “anger.”

Yet despite this narrative thread, “The Bitter Buddha” paints Pepitone as having completed these five stages. Lack of popularity is no longer an albatross around his neck. In fact, Pepitone has the uncanny ability to see the albatross around everyone’s neck, and talk them into taking it off. Pepitone is on “acceptance,” and laughing about it.
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Hot Tickets: United Kingdom

December 26, 2012
By Graeme Thomas

Every Wednesday at noon, GMT, Brown Paper Tickets will post upcoming events happening in the UK. Here are hot tickets for events coming up. Check back for stellar events that fit the interests of locals and tourists alike.

Sunday, December 30 All Against Nothing Christmas Party! Club 85, Hitchin All Against Nothing are back at Club 85! Bringing you a special Christmas and New Years party combined! They are also bringing out a brand new single to round off the year!

Monday, December 31 Aurora Winterborn’s Candid Cabaret – Hogmanay Hootenanny The Sapphire Rooms, Edinburgh After a wave of success from this year’s Edinburgh Fringe performances and 5-star reviews, Candid Cabaret returns for a Hogmanay Hoopla of burlesque, comedy, magic and much much more!

Monday, December 31 Tempest Rose’s New Years Eve Masquerade Ball Madame Jojos, London Madame Jojo’s New Year’s Eve Spectacular combines TWO of the West End’s most popular and critically acclaimed events. The evening kicks off with the award-winning House of Burlesque’s exotic and erotic cabaret extravaganza, Starring International ‘Burlesque Queen’ Miss Tempest Rose. Followed by Madame Jojo’s legendary club night, Lost & Found, with iconic DJs Dave Crozier & Andy Smith. This double club combination adds up to show stopping cabaret and pure musical class!!
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