(And, by "this way" we mean "to the Eastside...")
Last year, the Seattle International Comedy Competition slogged through night after night of nearly-Biblical downpours...that was scary. This year, the forecast is for generally decent, if not downright sunny weather. Nothing scary about that.
Last year, the Seattle International Comedy Competition began with a show at the Liberty Theatre in Puyallup, which was still dressed out from a private Halloween party, meaning that the competitors had to perform underneath the gnarled arms of a scary "living tree"...and that was scary. This year, the host venue for the first show of the year is the brand new and beautifully appointed Laughs Comedy Spot in Kirkland. Nothing scary about that.
In fact, despite starting on Halloween night, pretty much the ONLY thing scary about the start of the 28th Annual Seattle International Comedy Competition was the traffic getting from Seattle over the bridge to get to Kirkland.
The traffic reports on KOMO were screaming about the sky falling and the faithful vanishing into thin air; they'd never seen such bad traffic. What was up with THAT?
Guess all the candy's on the Eastside.
If, by candy, we're talking about the opportunity to start off Preliminary Week One strongly and set a pace for your fellow competitors to chase...
Because there's something special...and something somewhat scary...about a first night of the competition. Nobody really knows what to expect from the other performers, or from yourself as a performer, for that matter.
Everything is fresh, everything is new.
And you're venturing off...
Into the dark...
Into the unknown...
Hoping to get candy...
The 28th Annual Seattle International Comedy Competition
Preliminary Week One--Night One
October 31, 2007
Laughs Comedy Spot, Kirkland
Actually, going into the night, I wasn't hoping for candy--I was just hoping for a good crowd that really wanted to see some good comedy. It being Halloween--you know there's always the chance that the crowd will be "distracted" by festive thoughts...and, frankly, Laughs is such a new club...and while they get good weekend crowds, who knows what they might draw on a Wednesday night.
As Competition Producer Ron Reid would later tell me, when we walked into Laughs and saw how many tables were reserved--he had no worries about the attendance...
By showtime, club was packed...almost entirely full...and the audience, a few of them were in costume (although, the club being right next to Lovers Package, I wasn't sure if a few of them weren't really "costumes," if you know what I mean...) and it was difficult to determine their demographics, yet all were attentive and definitely there to see some comedy.
And can I just say that Laughs is such a good place to see comedy. It is clean, it is well maintained, it is well served and well managed. The sound (except for an odd mooing sound coming from the back speaker early in the night) is perfect, the stage is easily seen by everyone...and the seating is comfortable. I'm glad to know that we'll be returning to Laughs for more action in the competition.
So, we had a great venue, we had a great audience, we had sixteen great competitors all ready to put it on the line and see what happens...the only thing we DIDN'T have...was our host.
2005 SICC Champion Lamont Ferguson was scheduled to host...to host the entirity of Preliminary Week One of this year's competition...but on his way up from San Diego, evidently, Lamont began to feel quite ill. So ill, in fact, that he sought out a hospital. His status as I write this is still unknown and we all wish Lamont our best for a speedy recovery from whatever it is that might be ailing him.
The job of hosting the competition can't just go to "anyone"--as it is a job that demands a certain level of experience. Luckily, Ron was able to call upon the services of a man quite familiar with the demands of this competition--the man who will be headlining this weekend at Laughs Comedy Spot--David Testroet, to help the competition out.
So, with the host situation taken care of...a crowd full of eager comedy fans and a good group of comics to entertain them...it was time for the show to begin...and who better to lead the charge than the particularly well dressed man in charge of producing this competition, year after year...Ron Reid.
"I'd like to say thank you to Godfather's Pizza...for moving out of here and allowing us to have our show at this wonderful club."
Ron's job was to prep the audience for what they were about to witness...a night of the first of two preliminary weeks, where five comedians will earn the right to continue in the competition in the semi-finals and, as Ron explained, "after this week, eleven comedians will be sent home without even a t-shirt. We don't give 'em shit. They just go."
How very Anne Robinson of you, Ron. :)
Ron then took a moment to dedicate this competition to Laura Crocker--a dedication that is reprinted on the official Seattle International Comedy Competition website. Laura, in addition to being Ron's wife, helped create the very first Seattle comedy competition in 1980 and was influential in fostering a vibrant comedy scene in this area over the years. Laura recently passed away, far too soon...and this dedication is a fitting tribute to a very important person to everyone who enjoys comedy in Seattle.
It was also Ron and Laura's anniversary last night and I know that the night had to have been a bittersweet one for him...
Ron then brought our substitute host, David Testroet, to the stage. David is a hard working, classic road comic. He's played for every kind of audience in every scenario imaginable...and he does what he does, night after night in town after town. He's been everywhere, so he's got jokes about everywhere he goes.
"People always ask me. 'You've been to Seattle. Have you seen the hydroplane races?' I'm like, yeah...I've seen rush hour traffic."
After priming the pump with laughs in his warm-up set, it was time for David to start the competition proper. The order of the sixteen competitors was determined randomly. They would perform for five minutes--with penalties for going less than three minutes and more than seven--and try to impress the four judges, tonight, in the seven categories that those judges would be scoring them on. They were also working hard to impress the audience enough to earn the "terribly obvious encore point" that would add a full point to their score for the night.
The encore point is always the mystery factor in the competition...as the host determines who gets the point and who doesn't, based on his or her assessment of what constitutes the audience response necessary to earn it...and their willingness to suffer the slings and arrows that come from not giving it to the competitors.
David proved very early on...he was going into this battle like Achilles--unafraid of facing whatever might be thrown at him and demanding that the others prove themselves in battle.
In other words, people who might think that they should have been given the encore point were going to be disappointed--because unlike some hosts, David wasn't just giving them out to everyone.
Competitor Review-----
MIKE WALLY WALTER took the bullet by going first on this first night of the first week. Never an easy thing to do--but Mike Wally is the ultimate veteran comic...it's not like this would be something that he would fear...and certainly wasn't anything he couldn't handle.
Put that, way, there probably wasn't anyone better suited to going up first on this night...with one caveat.
Mike's style is similar to that of the host, David Testroet. Not the same...but they share a battle-tested road worthiness. It must have been a little odd for Mike to follow Dave directly.
Mike has a confident, professional air about him--and both in his voice and in his delivery, I hear a echoes of Bob Hope...although, Bob Hope probably wouldn't have pushed the envelope of the audience that Mike does.
Throughout his set, Mike was getting laughs--his stuff is too well-crafted and well delivered not to work at some level. He just wasn't getting the level of laughs that he might have liked.
Towards the end, when doing a chunk about Texas, Mike took on a bit of a Texas-y accent. Odd to hear Bob Hope with a Texas drawl.
However smooth and professional Mike is, on this night, he couldn't goose the audience into giving him enough laughter to convince David to give him the encore point
This made it very clear to the other comedians waiting to come up that they were going to have to earn those encore points...Dave wasn't handing out Halloween candy just because you knocked on the door.
ADAM NORWEST took the stage next, and it felt like he and the crowd were off rhythm with each other on his first couple of prepared jokes. Kind of like dancing with someone who is on the off-beat from you. However, after these first few jokes, Adam and the audience got in sync--as they started to understand his enjoyably warped perspective.
I do think that Adam dipped into the well once too often with jokes that included rhyming couplets. In a tight, short set...unless there's a call-back involved, probably not a good idea to have more than one joke with that distinct construction.
Still that's a nitpick in what was a very solid competition set--and many of the non-performing comedians in the back of the room, who came to watch the events unfold, commented on how much Adam has improved over the past year. He barely did over four minutes of material, but what he did was enough to earn him an encore point.
Next up, LUKAS SEELY. Lukas has done very well in other comedy competitions and this is his first chance to take on the Seattle International Comedy Competitions.
Lukas came to the stage, silently...allowing the audience to drink in his goofily stiff awkwardness. That might have been more effective if Adam, before him, wasn't also a little goofy and a little awkward.
Lukas plays off on his being Laotian and having originally been from Montana. His style is casual--he sacrifices being "crisp" for being real. Unfortunately, there were times when it seemed like he and the audience weren't quite on the same wavelength.
Still, his jokes about being forced to order the new Asian Salad at McDonald's and being invited to join the KKK in Montana (so they could get a discount on getting their sheets cleaned) found their mark. There just wasn't enough momentum to earn him the encore point.
After Lukas, David almost introduced skipped over GEOFF LOTT, the next performer, to introduce the performer AFTER Geoff. That must have been more than a little disconcerting--to be totally in your head and ready to claim that stage as your own, only to hear someone else being brought up...and then to have that reversed. Bound to put you off your game.
Not Geoff, though. Basically, Laughs is his home club and he seemed totally at home on stage there...and this is the third time for Geoff in the Seattle International Comedy Competition. Four years ago, he seemed on his way to the semi-finals...but tripped. Two years ago, his act was in transition. This year...he seems to have perfected his style...he's truly found his voice.
And that voice is smart, cynical and unafraid of considering the unpopular perspective. He'll make himself the target of his own jokes and he doesn't mind moments when the audience is uncomfortable.
Geoff had a great set going and, if his closing bit hadn't fallen rather flat, it would have been a consistent winner. As it was, he ended on a rather weak note--never a good situation when you're being judged.
Luckily, the audience had his back...and gave him the response he needed for the encore point.
After Geoff, it was time for the performer that David almost brought up instead of Geoff. Evidently, David has never seen RODGER LIZAOLA perform before...because David guessed that Rodger is Italian and made a joke about it.
Rodger is not Italian. Rodger is Mexican...and again, things like that can throw a performer, prepared for a tight competition set, off his game.
Rodger, though, has seen it all and his strong personality carries him through any challenge. Rodger carries that same strength into his material--which often simply, and boldly, states what everyone thinks on a topic.
"I saw a herpes commercial and a woman in the commercial said, 'Living with herpes is such a hassle.' No, it isn't. Losing your wallet. THAT'S a hassle."
His pride in seeing Edward James Olmos in "Battlestar Galactica" leads Rodger into fertile comedic territory about being happy that finally there's Mexicans in the future.
Rodger also doesn't hesitate to throw himself against the boundaries. A particularly edgy joke about rape and ethnic origins drew out some more sensitive audience reactions--to which, Rodger replied, "'Oooooh'??? 'Oooooh'???? You can't 'oooh' fact."
Which is just plain brilliant.
Rodger earned himself his encore point.
Taking the stage with a casual "'Sup?'", KEY LEWIS brought to the stage many of the same strengths as the performer immediately ahead of him--Rodger Lizaola. Only, Key isn't Mexican--he's black. At first. Later, he talks about being mixed race--black and white. And then still later, he talks about how his lady is Mexican.
Unfortunately, however strong his performance was, it paled compared to the strong focus and point of view that Rodger brought to his set immediately before him.
There are times when Key begins to take on a Katt Williams-y cadence. Key doesn't have that boldness of character, but he was doing perfectly fine early in his set--but, like so many Western Washington audiences, they shut down on a non-Mexican performer doing material about Mexicans (a recurring theme in previous years of this very competition--and usually, it's a California based performer learning THAT lesson the hard way.)
Nevertheless, Key got his encore point.
No one is ever going to compare the next performer, SCOTT MORAN, to Katt Williams. Compared to the boldness of both Key and Rodger, Scott's taking to the stage might best be described as "yawn-y".
Scott, one of the core members of the Peoples Republic of Komedy--the leaders of the alt-comedy scene here in Seattle--and his ability to twist every day moments in new ways, without seeming too safe or too surreal, is one of the reasons that PRoK shows can be so satisfying.
Free bicycle scissors, politically incorrect bear pepper spray, the concept of non-boner fighting...all of these make perfect sense when Scott discusses them on stage.
Less successful was a trip into the land of bird impressions...proving one of the lingering criticisms of some alt-comedy performers--an inability (or unwillingness) to edit one's self--AND one of its obvious strengths--the compulsion to try whatever you think might work.
But...this IS a competition and there are judges who may not share alt-comedy values. What they know is funny...and to my ears, Scott was definitely that.
His ending gambit--describing his every day attire as a Halloween costume, that he was "a winner of a coloring contest" lead to an inside joke about how countered what he'd just set up, in a Droopy-Dog voice, saying "I've never won ANYTHING before...judges..."
Scott cracked me up. Unfortunately, he didn't crack up enough of the audience to get the encore point--however, he was rather close to getting it.
Another veteran of the competition, LIZZY PILCHER was in position to make a serious try at making the semi-finals two years ago...but events (and Oak Harbor) conspired against her. She's back for another go.
I don't know if I need to point this out--but Lizzy is a female. She's a female comedian. She's the first female comedian of the night. I'm not sure that the fact that Lizzy is a female is so important and so unusual that I have to point it out as many times as I've just done...if at all. It just seems to be something that is done at comedy shows--to point out that she is, like many other comedians including a few others to perform later in this very show, a female. Evidently, audiences have to be asked if they're ready for a female comedian, and specifically for the first female comedian of the night.
I don't know...I think that's something that'd become obvious to the audience, without much prompting, when she comes on stage. I mean, ready or not...this particular female comedian is coming to the stage.
Lizzy's decided to do a set that she's done very well for some time now--her best tested material that she's developed over the past few years. Strategically, it makes some sense--but I've seen Lizzy do newer material recently...and she's done very well with it--and she seems to enjoy performing the newer material more...
That's just one of countless decisions that every comedian in this competition needs to make--to go with material that you know works or go with the material that inspires you now. There are reasons to doubt all of these decisions at nearly every step of this competition--and if you choose one, you never really know if things would be different if you'd chosen the other. It can mess with your head, believe me.
Lizzy seemed to be doing well with the competition set she'd chosen for tonight, until she went into a joke about going to Mexico for hard drugs. Perhaps it was the audience's sensitivity to the topic following Rodger and then Key...hard to say, but the bit--which I've seen do well for Lizzy--fell absolutely flat...killing whatever momentum she had going into it.
Still, the strength of her other material and her comfort on stage seemed to give her a good chance at getting the encore point. After the show was over, one of the judges expressed his surprise that, in fact, Lizzy did not get the encore point. It was close.
Events...or maybe decisions...conspired against her.
Again...it'll make your brain hurt if you think about it too much...ready or not.
Last year's competition was dominated by Canadians...and won by a Canadian. Thus, it makes sense to alert the audience to the first Canadian of the competition to take the stage--one of the most intriguing performers in the competition, DARREN FROST.
Darren's entry DVD was jawdropping...both because it was damn funny...but also because it took no prisoners, it killed countless sacred cows...and most of all, it didn't give a damn what you thought of it.
Of course, he had to be in this year's competition.
And the genteel nature and tranquil pool of Laughs in Kirkland was disturbed...some waves were made... Even in Darren's first joke, about being naked in a field, calling the 1-800 number on beer bottles "if you have questions" earned him more than a few whispered "Wow..."'s from an audience that suddenly realized that they should be holding on.
Darren is very short. Perhaps there's a little Napoleon in him. (Certainly couldn't be a big Napoleon--heyyyyyoooooo, try the veal!) He suffers no fools, gladly or not...and even when I realized he was trying to tone it down for tony Kirkland...it was still like being barked at by a terrier with the heart of a feral pit bull.
Or, as Darren would describe himself later in his set, "a dolphin on crack."
At one point, Darren warned the audience that if they don't start laughing, he'd bite his own arm off and ram it up their asses. That's a threat that I believe many in the audience felt him to be capable of...
He has a distinct cadence and a meter to how he says whatever he wants to say. Imagine, if you can, an angry and unfiltered John Pinette with no obsession with food...and you can kind of hear in your mind what Darren Frost sounds like.
Tacoma-based comedian Riggs, also known for not toning his style down, smiled as he listened to Darren's performance, saying "Oh, I SO wanna work with THIS guy!"
One word that I haven't mentioned yet in reviewing Darren's performance...is undeniable. Undeniably funny and his getting his encore point was undeniable.
After his set, when complimented on his set, Darren made it clear that these people have no idea what his set COULD have been...
To which I point out...the week is very young, yet.
As was the night... Sixteen comedians in a night are a lot to go through and with that many performers, and the order of performance determined randomly for each night, you're going to get some odd combinations. People whose acts really don't blend well together.
After Darren Frost came former middle school teacher, SHARON LACEY.
Sharon is a sweet person and very positive about comedy and how she approaches her opportunities in comedy. She recently did very well in the San Francisco Comedy Competition and was looking to extend her success there, here in the Seattle International Comedy Competition.
But, bringing her tales of dealing with crazy students...following the wild howling nightmare that is Darren Frost? A difficult position, to be sure.
Still, Sharon didn't seem intimidated...and, most importantly, she didn't try to match what Darren had done...that would have been foolish. Instead, she did what she does best...tales of how Bush's "No Child Left Behind" act kind of took the fun out of taking kids on field trips.
When she was telling crisp, economical jokes...the laughs came fast enough to give her a sense of momentum. When she went into an extended bit--an act out of a "nature show" focusing in on the wild animals that roam the hallways of a middle school--that momentum began to flag. It felt too bloated for the size of the laughs it was generating.
In the end, compared to some of the more adventurous material that was being presented on this show, much of what Sharon had to offer was a bit safe, a bit easy...too much "my damn job" type of material--which is very relatable, sure...but it hoes an already much tilled field.
Like Lizzy earlier, the audience response for Sharon certainly put her in the neighborhood of getting an encore point...but she didn't get escorted through that door. Much to the frustration of the fans she had in the audience, she did not get the encore point.
Maybe Kirkland really wasn't ready for female comedians?
Fresh from a flight from California, GREG REID earned his way into this competition by winning another competition. Greg had his keyboard on stage and came up to music--the only performer to arrange to do so. Unfortunately, there might have been some sort of a mix-up as the music he came to the stage to didn't immediately lead to a bit--and Greg indicated that it was the wrong song.
...except that just as Greg said that, he did a bit about the song that had played...a bit that pretty much lead into his material...so, who knows? (If he does the same set in other nights of the competition--then, we'll know.)
He did a fun parody version of Justin Timberlake's "SexyBack" with new words and a dance that the audience cheered for... He brought out the keyboard to parody hypocritical R&B singers.
And he ended by changing the lyrics to James Blunt's "Beautiful" by imagining the song being sung to a woman suffering from STD's.
This is the kind of thing that many Seattle-area audiences eat up with a spoon and wash down with a latte...and the Kirkland crowd responded with one of the loudest cheers of the night--and it earned Greg an easily given encore point.
That love was definitely extended to the next performer, JAQI FURBACK.
Jaqi has worked very hard over the past few years to develop her distinct voice. She's had a surreal side that hasn't always connected with the audience. She's had a dark side that hasn't always lead to generating laughter--sometimes, it would dip into generating sympathy. And, she's always had an ability to be a compelling figure on stage...but she hasn't always been able to harness that and keep her surreal and dark sensibilities informing her comedy.
If tonight's set was any indication, she may have found the right balance at last. She gets away with being charming and dismissive at the same time--asking the crowd how it's going for them and immediately letting them know that she doesn't care. It's risky--like any tease--but it can certainly pay-off if you can get and keep the audience on your hook.
Jaqi's set began with a bizarre story about having her body fat measured...naked, in an alley way, while someone was taking pictures. Each detail points to the story being a silly made up tail, but Jaqi uses her words to paint vivid pictures and then maintains continuity so that every detail that she adds to her story makes it seem more real...and more ludicrous at the same time.
Many jokes add details that break the illusion--Jaqi maintains the illusion with each detail, which then reveals other details that she continues to release...again, like the audience is a fish being let out on a line while on the hook.
"I should probably Google my name when I get home. Might be some royalties due to me..." is a damn funny place to take that story--but it didn't end there...and unlike Sharon's nature show story, the laughs build...supporting the weight of the growing structure of the multilayered bit.
Another weapon in Jaqi's arsenal is that when she says something dark, like "About my mom. I want to hug the shit out of her face with a pillow."--she lets it sit for just a second before an absolutely charming and adorably giggly smile blossoms perfectly across her face. This might seem to break up the dark mood--which it does, but it only serves to seal the impression of Jaqi being someone who is amused at her own dark surreal thoughts.
That's very compelling...especially when her material is smart and well crafted.
She definitely got the loudest audience cheers at the end of her set for anyone during the night...a testimony to her hard work and her figuring out who she is, and how to best represent herself to others. Encore point well deserved, Jaqi.
In last year's competition, I predicted before the event began that Damonde Tschritter would win...and he did. The previous year, I predicted before the event that Lamont Ferguson would win...and he did. This year...understanding that there were some performers who I have never seen, so it is patently unfair for me to make such a prediction...my prediction would be going up right after Jaqi on this first night of the first preliminary week.
And next up on the bill was LEIF SKYVING. Leif's is a name (and an easily mispronounced one at that) and a face I've seen on countless comedy club walls...and he's had some success in competitions like this before. This competition eats up promising newcomers for breakfast--so, my prediction has something to do with being experienced but still capable of surprising people.
Coming on stage in shades and a jacket and then using the silence (much more effectively than Lukas Seely had tried to do earlier in the night) to add tension to the start of one's set (tension that punchlines can release--the essence of comedy) surprised me...as did the strength of his seemingly simple but devastatingly well crafted jokes would... Proved to me, at least, that my prediction was at least on the right track.
Leif has a nice balance of being the kind of a mildly dirty comedian that parents seem to like... It's not dirty for being dirty's sake or dirty for being shocking's sake, it's mildly dirty for being funny's sake...and it works throughout his set.
Lost my virginity to a girl who was special. Back then, we called her retarded...I guess, you call them special now.
Even when he whips out his harmonica (a tool of the comedy trade that host David Testroet makes good work out of when he's doing his full set...and one that Leif used to get an applause break just by playing without even having used it in its first joke yet) and does some blues lyrics jokes--his mindset is always there and always works.
Women, huh?
Every one I've ever been with...
Has herpes...
...now.
With the music giving him a chance to put in the perfect amount of space to make the joke work and not a smidgen more or less, the joke simply works. That's why people like him and that's why he's my "before I know anything" prediction.
Leif got the encore point, indeed, he did. A big one, too.
Here's a description that I have a hard time typing, much less defending--I have to simply ask you to trust me here.
Next up was the angry (ok), political (ok), and likable (wait...what?) KYLE HARBERT. There are plenty of comedians who use their anger to fuel their performances. There are a lot of performers who choose to take on issues in their material. There are certainly performers who combine those two elements--but rarely do they present those elements and still remain likable, even to audience members who might not share Kyle's point of view on the issues he talks about. That's both a gift and a skill and Kyle is to be commended for it.
Unlike many angry and political comics, Kyle maintains a very high laughs per minute ratio. He also manages to avoid getting bogged down in the details of a topic--another trap that many political comics fall into. He exudes positive energy, makes his points, gets his laughs and then moves on to his next target.
Kyle also manages to work in a liberal dosing of pop culture references...connecting two worlds that might not often get connected. That helps audience members who aren't as informed on current event issues to not be left behind.
Of course, this was one audience in a somewhat progressive part of town. There will be other audiences who might not be so tolerant of someone who doesn't share their views...and there are other towns that just don't seem to know any pop culture references. We'll see how Kyle's act does there as the competition moves forward...but on THIS night, in THIS town...Kyle did very well and got the encore point.
Here's another description that we both might stumble over.
Smart (ok), funny (good...), and deaf (wait...what?), STEPHEN O'KEEFE has two specific challenges inherent in taking the stage.
First question: Is he merely a novelty...a circus show...a "Hey, look what the deaf guy can do?" exhibition...or is he a real comic? My answer to that question, based on tonight, is that Stephen is a real comic. Obviously, he's going to have to deal with the elephant in the room--so, his material centers around being deaf. However, he rarely plays that card to pander or for sympathy...he plays it, as a real comic does, for laughs. His material works...and he comes across, in his stage presence, as strong as anyone else in the field. He works all sides of the room and he makes the connection with the audience. He certainly earns his place on stage, without qualifications or a sense of undeserved entitlement. Respect.
Second question: Do the physical challenges for a deaf comedian make it impossible for him to do what any comedian should be expected to do? The answer to this question is--it isn't at all "impossible" for Stephen, but there ARE challenges...and it is interesting to watch (and, have the luxury to hear) how he deals with them.
Stephen's voice and delivery ARE impacted by his hearing impairment. Certain words are not easy for him to pronounce. Stephen tries hard to make certain that he speaks as distinctly as he can, he slows his pace down to make certain that people can work out his meaning and there are times when he uses vital act-outs to help fill in any missing puzzle pieces in the audience's mind. There are, however, some times when his voice sounds, almost, robotic. I can imagine judges being forced to mark him down for delivery--if compared to the standard set by non-hearing impaired performers.
There is, however, a benefit for Stephen. Sensing the challenge that Stephen faces and the hard work that he's putting in to entertaining them, audiences seem willing to spend the energy to pay attention and work with him. That's taking a potential negative and making it a positive.
Some of Stephen's material is kind of obvious--but I found myself laughing very loudly at a few lines--not that Stephen would notice, of course. ...and think about THAT, for a second. Stephen can't easily adjust to how the audience is reacting to his performance as he goes on with his set. Those adjustments that non-hearing impaired performers take for granted, based on what we hear when a joke doesn't get laughs or when it gets groans...whatever...Stephen is forced to constantly scan the audience for visual clues to help him make those adjustments That must, at some level, be terrifying for a performer...and I give props to Stephen for facing that potential terror with great aplomb.
Solid set tonight...got the encore point.
Closing out the show strong, with attitude and a boundless imagination is ANDY HAYNES. Since returning to Seattle from some simmering time in the Washington DC scene, Andy's come back to install himself as one of the most solid performers in the alt-comedy scene--with a wicked ability to carve and slice up potential comedic scenarios...and a strong ability to ad lib and improv his way into deeper comedic waters.
He's not quite as physical as last year's Seattle International Comedy Competition semi-finalist, Rory Scovel--one of Andy's good friends and also a product of that Washington DC scene...and, there are times where Andy takes on some of the stylistic tics that Rory exhibited in the competition last year. (That's less something that an audience member would notice and more more something that only I'd notice--since I've seen both Andy and Rory a lot over the past two years.) I bring up Rory's name here because luckily, Andy also resembles Rory in being confident on stage and extremely funny.
Another point of contact for Andy is Daniel Tosh. Like Tosh, Andy often works on two levels at the same time...building and undercutting himself as a friend or foe of those who aren't quick enough to stay with him.
After a very long night of comedy, Andy kept the attention of the audience and drew blood consistently with strong material and a distinct attitude. Andy did very well and got one of the loudest cheers for an encore point of the night.
So, it's up to the judges to score each competitor in seven categories...and then the scores of those four judges are added up, divided, curved and the announced. This is the first time this year that these competitors will get actual, hard copy deterimants of how they stack up to their peers...and what their chances are over the next five shows.
After a lengthy weight for checking and rechecking the math in the back room, a card was handed to David Testroet with the information that everyone was waiting for.
Fifth place--Rodger Lizaola.
Fourth place--Leif Skyving.
Third place--Kyle Harbert.
Second place--Andy Haynes.
...and, the top performer for the night...
First place--Jaqi Furback.
(Back Row: Jaqi Furback, Andy Haynes. Front Row: David Testroet, Rodger Lizaola, Kyle Harbert, Leif Skyving)
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 1ST, Preliminary Week-Show Two takes place at Gordon's on the Green in Tukwila--show time, 8pm. Look for a report from THAT show posted late tonight and into tomorrow.
LINKS:
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