Looking for a hilarious way to spend an evening as the summer comes to an end? You have two weeks left to stroll over the Brooklyn Bridge and check out some raw, uncensored comedy at The South Street Seaport.
Mark DeFrancis, company manager of the Dog Run Repertory Company, was approached by producer/comic Marshall Stevenson to provide a space for his tribe of comics to perform on Friday nights. The core group of six met in a class at The Comic Strip and have been performing together for the past two years. Marshall wanted a space where the comics could not only perform, but hone their craft. Here @Seaport, they have the opportunity to perform longer sets and experiment with new material unlike traditional open mic nights that enforce strict time limits (and sometimes content restrictions). Since the show takes place in a theater and not a comedy club, there are no bitter cocktail waitresses and overpriced cocktails. In fact, although they do sell what DeFrancis calls the "high school collection" of booze (Jack Daniels, PBR, Bud Light, Coors Light, and not-so fancy wine), there is no drink minimum, prices are cheap and you can even b.y.o.b. That's right, a ten dollar cover charge and you can even bring along your very own bottle of Jack! No need to hide that flask in your purse, or as comedienne Micia Mosely states in her set "in your boot" (her reason to wear boots to "the club" in the summer).
It is a fantastic show with rotating hosts and a very talented core group of comics that includes Jose Vega, Aksash Bhasin, Marshall Stevenson, Justin Williams, Lance Rizzo, and Wilson McDermott as well as weekly guests. Many have performed at The Comic Strip, Carolines and regionally on college comedy tours. They also give newer comics the opportunity to perform without having to hit up an open mic night. But getting up on stage comes with a price. New comics are expected to do some "barking," the comedy world's term for street team guerilla marketing and solicitation of audience members.
But they aren't complaining, these guys are all willing to do their part, as Akash Bhasin told me, "I've been doing this pitch for two hours and it doesn't get any less embarrassing as time goes on. I feel like I'm selling products on t.v. that no one wants. And that's basically what stand-up comedy is, you don't have a product to sell, you're selling yourself. It's hard to get people to take a look at your product and even if they like your product in the end, it's hard just to get them to look at it. At least on t.v. you have somebody who doesn't have anything else to do. . . . but this is New York, everyone is on their way somewhere and it's really hard to get them to come in and sit down. . . . Stand-up comedy is art in its purest form, it's completely original. . . . . When you put on a play you have time to rehearse, when you are doing stand-up comedy if you have a couple of new jokes it's the first time anybody besides yourself has ever heard it. . . . and it's nerve racking, are they gonna like it, are they not going to like it? If they like it what did they like about it? If they didn't like it what did they not like about it? I've been killing myself for 2 hours just to get people in seats to tell jokes to, if I could do this at home in front of a mirror I would, but stand-up comedy, you need an audience, and it's tough.. . . . .but I'm gonna get that audience."
The weekly 11pm Friday night show started a few months ago @Seaport and grew so popular that they added a second seating. There are now two shows, 8pm and 10pm. If after the first show you are left wanting more, have no fear! They will let you stay for the second show free of charge to fully satisfy your laughter fix. And as an added bonus, the next two weekends there will be shows on both Friday and Saturday evenings. Two shows a night plus two more weekends equals eight chances to head on down to the seaport and support live stand-up comedy. Plus, they are going to end the run with a good-old fashioned NYC dance party. In addition to comedy, they will have DJs in the lobby in between and after the shows, and I hear that there will also be jello shots. Jello shots and PBR? It's a no-brainer. What are you waiting for? In the words of Akash, "Make it a great night, make it a late night, have a couple drinks and make it a date night!"
Click here to watch the video interview with producer Marshall Stevenson and comics Jose Vega and Akash Bhasin.
And here is another interview with Mark DeFrancis, company manager of Dog Run Repertory Company (and bartender extraordinaire).
Where: @ Seaport is located at 210 Front St. (between Fulton and Beekman)
When: August 21st, 22nd: 8pm and 10pm and August 28th, 29th: 8pm and 10pm
Cost: $10
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