Friday night we went to the finals of the San Francisco Stand-Up Comedy Competition up at Lake Tahoe(?). I guess SF was full.
There were five performers; each did a 15-20 minute set. It’s a theatre set up with long tables instead of um, theatre style. Great if you are a contortionist/giraffe.
The acts were cool. I liked two out of the five. I really dislike comics who are putting on an obvious act. Real people are relatable. When you seem like a real person, then I’m laughing at something you said that I think is funny. When you are Bernie the Ukrainian-Chicken-Farming-Gigolo, then I’m laughing at something you think is funny. It only goes so far in my opinion. Not to say that you can’t have a persona- it’s just got to seem like you are a real person. Otherwise it just seems like a gimmick to me and that’s a distraction.
Here’s what I thought of the acts (in order of appearance).
- Eric Schwartz: The Suburban Homeboy. He was alright. He goes for the whole “I’m a Jewish geek who wants to be a hip-hop sensation.” After a while it wears on you.
- Sadiki Fuller: He was cool. He goes into the whole “I’m black and poor so we drank a lot of off-brand Kool Aid” thing but not so heavy that it’s all he relies on. He had a great stage presence and was likable.
- Nathan Trenholm: Think Steven Wright as a whiney angry twisted dwarf. A few of his zingers made me chuckle, but I wouldn’t go see him agian.
Tommy Savitt: He plays a sleazy New York ex-lawyer. He breaks into this too-affectionate-uncle voice quite a bit. Creepy. - Jim Short: He’s Australian which differentiates him and gives him some material, but he was a truly good comic. He killed. And won.
It was a great night and I respect each comic for making it to the finals.
Location: Caesars Lake Tahoe
Price: $25
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