The cast of The Lincoln Lodge heads north to Rogers Park for a special standup showcase at Mayne Stage tomorrow night (Wednesday March 27th). Tickets can be purchased by clicking here, be sure to use the code word LODGE when checking out for $5 off your order. In advance of the show, I sent over three questions to be answered by all nine Lodge members.
Read MoreThe Blackout Diaries Diaries Vol. 4
For almost two years, Sean Flannery's live storytelling show The Blackout Diaries has been regularly selling out rooms like the Beat Kitchen and The Lincoln Lodge. The show features stories of booze-fueled bad decisions and drunken debauchery from comic performers, as well as the occasional regular person. The Blackout Diaries launched a run of Saturday nights at The Lincoln Lodge earlier this year and soon after announced a partnership with Jeppson's Malört, Chicago's premiere cult liqueur. You can catch the show every Saturday night at The Lincoln Lodge at 8pm.
Over the last few weeks, Sean and the other producers of The Blackout Diaries (Matty Ryan and The Puterbaugh Sisters), have weighed in on a drinking-related subject that's close to their heart. For the final installment Tiffany Puterbaugh is here to share her knowledge of the many forms of alcohol. Read MoreThe Blackout Diaries Diaries Vol. 3
For almost two years, Sean Flannery's live storytelling show The Blackout Diaries has been regularly selling out rooms like the Beat Kitchen and The Lincoln Lodge.
The show features stories of booze-fueled bad decisions and drunken
debauchery from comic performers, as well as the occasional regular
person. Last month, the show launched a run of Saturday nights at The
Lincoln Lodge and announced a partnership with Jeppson's Malört,
Chicago's premiere cult liqueur. You can catch The Blackout Diaries every Saturday night at The Lincoln Lodge at 8pm.
Read MoreThe Blackout Diaries Diaries Vol. 2
For almost two years, Sean Flannery's live storytelling show The Blackout Diaries has been regularly selling out rooms like the Beat Kitchen and The Lincoln Lodge. The show features stories of booze-fueled bad decisions and drunken debauchery from comic performers, as well as the occasional regular person. Last month, the show launched a run of Saturday nights at The Lincoln Lodge and announced a partnership with Jeppson's Malört, Chicago's premiere cult liqueur. You can catch The Blackout Diaries every Saturday night at The Lincoln Lodge at 8pm.
Over the next few weeks, Sean and the other producers of The Blackout Diaries (Matty Ryan and The Puterbaugh Sisters), will weigh in on a drinking-related subject that's close to their heart. This week, Danielle Puterbaugh is here to share some tips on dating and courtship.
Read MoreThe Blackout Diaries Diaries Vol. 1
For almost two years, Sean Flannery's live storytelling show The Blackout Diaries has been regularly selling out rooms like the Beat Kitchen and The Lincoln Lodge. The show features stories of booze-fueled bad decisions and drunken debauchery from comic performers, as well as the occasional regular person. Last month, the show launched a run of Saturday nights at The Lincoln Lodge and announced a partnership with Jeppson's Malört, Chicago's premiere cult liqueur. You can catch The Blackout Diaries every Saturday night at The Lincoln Lodge at 8pm.
Over the next few weeks, Sean and the other producers of The Blackout Diaries (Matty Ryan and The Puterbaugh Sisters), will weigh in on a drinking-related subject that's close to their heart. This week, Sean is here to discuss hangover treatment, a subject he takes very seriously.
Read MoreGo see Rory Scovel this weekend
Though it only happens a few times a year, The Lincoln Lodge has a great track record of booking solid touring standup comics. In the last few years, they've hosted Chelsea Peretti, Kyle Kinane, Pete Holmes, Moshe Kasher, and a several more I can't remember off the top of my head. The latest in the parade of innovative, nationally rising performers to take the stage at the Lodge is Rory Scovel.
I first saw Scovel live a few years ago at Just For Laughs, as a part of Kurt Braunohler and Kristen Schaal's Hot Tub standup showcase, he performed much of his set in a fake southern accent, with the mic stand slung threateningly over his shoulder. I was very into it. Since then, he's performed on Conan a handful of times, often with the similarly boundary-pushing Jon Dore, and he's become a regular guest on Todd Glass' reliably silly podcast. I'm very excited to see Scovel's return to Chicago, especially at a venue as intimate and unique as the Lincoln Lodge.
Check out a few of my favorite clips of Rory Scovel below, and be sure to check out one of his four shows this weekend at The Lincoln Lodge. He'll be performing with some of my favorite locals (the current Lodge cast is full of ringers), and there will be giant mugs of Moosehead beer for not much money.
Read MoreInterview: Martin Morrow
You may know Martin Morrow as Farty Marty, a giggling comedic titan with a gassy catch phrase, or as Mar'son, the leader of the intensely rowdy Fuck Your Family rap crew. He's also a cast member at The Lincoln Lodge, competed in the latest season of Impress These Apes, and performs standup, sketch, and improv all over the city. Tomorrow night (11/10) at The Greenhouse Theater, Martin will be performing in his second one man show, entitled In My Head, produced by MPAACT.
I talked to him earlier this week about his background and the work that goes into building a one man show. Get tickets for tomorrow's show here.
The Steamroller: You're originally from Alabama, correct? What brought you to Chicago?
Martin Morrow: I am originally from Birmingham, AL. I grew up there, went to college in Auburn, AL and an opportunity led me to work for Ugly Betty in New York and I cut my teeth doing comedy there as well. The show was cancelled while I was there and I went back home for my graduation and a series of unfortunate events kept me in AL. A buddy of mine who I grew up and performed with named Cameron Gillette knew I was frustrated in Birmingham and was looking to go to a place with better comedic opportunities. He told me he had a room open in Chicago and I took it.
TS: So I know you predominantly from operating within the standup scene in Chicago, but you often perform in character. It seems like you're as interested in solo sketch/character work as you are in straightforward standup. Is that at all accurate? Where do you see yourself fitting into the weirdly disparate scenes of sketch, improv, and standup in Chicago?
MM: Yeah, I really bounce around. Sketch was the first thing I ever did so I'm happy to work with Second City in doing sketches and improv. Stand-up is what I enjoy doing the most though. It's therapeutic at times whereas sketch and improv is more of a leave it all at the door type of thing. I can put every emotion into a stand-up bit. I think character work for me is the middle ground. It gives me an opportunity to goof around and convey a different message or different feeling through a different voice.
I want to be able to build a following for all of it though to where people want to come to a show because they know they're going to get something different and unique with each style of performance.
TS: You finished in the top three during the most recent season of Impress These Apes, what was that experience like?
MM: Impress These Apes was fantastic. I was in first place for several weeks, finishing top 3 was awesome and it really opened my eyes to a lot of how to further develop my work. It was the hardest thing I've ever been apart of that I actually enjoyed.
TS: This is your second one man show with MPAACT, how did you start working with them?
MM: I had a coworker named Sati Word who works in the theater community in the city and knew of my work and approached me about doing a show with MPAACT and I put up Southern Discomfort which was mostly about growing up in the south, dealing with racism, and my relationship with my father before and during his death. The show went well and I got asked to do another one, which is In My Head.
TS: What do you see as the differences between a one man show and a straightforward comedy show?
MM: The difference in a one man show and a comedy show is in a one man show there are different things you have to oversee and adjust. In a one man, you become the director, producer, lighting designer, music- everything. For a stand-up show, you go on stage, tell your jokes for however long, and just try to keep people laughing or at least keep their attention. There is a lot more pressure in a one man show for everything to flow right because it's all on your shoulders
TS: What can we expect from this show?
MM: This show will have all the characters I perform and some new ones. I'll also tell stories in between about dating and various relationships as well as my family life. It's going to be a lot of fun and I hope everyone comes.
Here's 5 shows worth checking out
There's a lot of great shows coming up in the next handful of days. These are just a few of them:
Tonight (Wednesday October 10th)
Comedians You Should Know (James Fritz, Drew Michael, Clark Jones,
David Drake and Danny Kallas, plus a special guest)
Timothy O’Tooles. 9pm. $5
advance/$10 doors.
CYSK is probably the most professionally run and consistent weekly standup
show there is. This is Fritz’s last week in town before moving to Los
Angeles to become a very famous standup comedian (Kallas, the evening’s host,
had a solid point about this phenomenon) and the promise of a special guest is
not to be ignored, they’re known for rolling out surprise national acts on the
regular.
Tomorrow night (Thursday October 11th)
The
Funny Story Show: The Bro Show (Shannon
Cason, Mikey Manker, Anthony McBrien, Jason Earl Folks, Goodrich Gevaart,
Daniel Sharp, Zak Baker, Michael Ortiz, and Caitlin Bergh)
Looseleaf Lounge. 7:30pm. $5
suggested donation.
Produced by Caitlin Bergh, The
Funny Story Show is a place for folks from the storytelling and standup comedy
scenes can come together to share true, personal stories. Bergh’s an aggressively honest
comic, whose storytelling chops are unmatched on the standup scene, which makes
her the perfect person to run this sort of show. Cason, the evening's headliner, is a Moth GrandSLAM champion and a staff writer for WBEZ's Paper Machete show
The
Lincoln Lodge Industry Showcase (17 local
comics)
The Lincoln Lodge. 8:30pm. $5.
This is what it’d be like if open
mics were more like showcases. 17 very funny people will perform a hot 5
minutes for a room full of agency scouts and regular folks. Consider this local
comedy speed dating, it’s a perfect way to get exposed to a lot of
personalities at once, a few of whom will probably get some very good news as
a result of this show!
Friday night (October 12th)
Urlakis
& Cusick: Questionable Lullabies
(Dave Urlakis and Sean Cusick)
Stage 773. 8pm. $15.
Two-man sketch troupe Urlakis &
Cusick returns to Stage 773 after last year’s self-titled revue, which was
praised for its relentless, cerebral dark humor. Both dudes have a strong
sketch background, having worked, directed, and taught at The Annoyance, Second
City, ComedySportz, and WCIU-TV. The show runs weekly through November 16th.
The
James Fritz Reverse Hello Show (James
Fritz, The Puterbaugh Sisters, Joe McAdam, Junior Stopka, Chad Briggs, Mike
Lebovitz, Danny Kallas and more)
ComedySportz. Midnight. $10.
As mentioned before, James Fritz is
moving to LA next week, and this show serves as a final farewell to the best
comedian and podcaster on the scene. Produced by ComedyofChicago.com, this late
night show has one of those lineups that will look INSANE to a specific type of
nerd in three to five years.