One Night Stand-Up

On July 13th 2009 at approximately 7:45 pm. I stepped onto the open stage at the Comedy Store on Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles California. The bright lights blotting out the front row, I was alone on stage. I was also alone in the club save for my fellow amateur comedians. The Pot Luck shows at the Comedy Store are a tradition that date back to the earliest days of the store. Alumni that have gone on to stardom after paying their dues at the open mic include Richard Pryor, Sam Kinison, David Letterman and more.

The evening begins when the sign-up sheet appears in front of the store at 6:00 pm. Up to 40 aspiring comedians can sign up for 15 to 20, three-minute performance spots. After seven weeks of not making the cut Bobby Pope appeared in spot #12. It was a slow night at the club, a total of four people were in the audience and not at the same time. Technically three people were audience members and one was a comedian sitting with a friend. So the fanfare was nowhere and the crowd a little brutal but the show went on.

The performers were gracious to each other and the night became a proving ground for new material. Not a bad situation to be in when performing for the first time. It was a walk through for hopefully many attempts to come. My three minutes went by without incident, there were some definite hits and some misses and I was able to end on a laugh. In the end the sting of the stage is as strong as ever. I am a person who thrives in the spotlight. A full house may mean more pressure but you also get a more accurate barometer of how well you perform. Some questions were left unanswered but the experience I will always have.

Joke that got the biggest laugh - "So I was shocked to find that in L.A. you can buy hard liquor at the drug store. You can walk into CVS and buy enough Vodka and Tylenol P.M. to recreate Liza Minelli's honeymoon."

III,