Having the chance to attend last year, the 2013 Just For Laughs Festival, in comparison, seemed to be packed with more shows, local Chicago talent and up-and-coming comedians, centered mostly in venue Stage 773’s four in-house theaters. In the days I was able to attend the festival, I was lucky enough to see over a dozen shows and about 40 performers, and while it was enjoyable all-around to spend consecutive nights watching comedy, there were a few memorable moments that stood out over the week.
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Moshe Kasher (Wednesday, June 12)
Having read Moshe Kasher’s memoir, “Kasher In The Rye,” and frequently listened to his podcast, “The Champs,” with Neal Brennan, I was more than excited to catch him again, as I did the year before when he performed at The Lincoln Lodge-a popular Chicago stand-up show. Looking back, his night at the Lodge was much more casual, since Kasher was incorporating readings of his book along with his act. When watching him on Wednesday, I was doubled over laughing at a full-on performance.
Kasher opened up with some crowd work on the occupations of various audience members, amongst who were a firefighter and an unemployed man sitting in the front row. It seemed to allow the audience to be more relaxed and receptive to his performance. Up top and occasionally throughout his set, he poked fun at his masculinity and his hipster attire, reminding people his glasses are real and are needed due to a disability. He dealt with the distraction of latecomers and early-goers with ease, making the simple act of someone leaving to go to the bathroom incredibly funny.
As I watched him perform, I noticed his jokes have a brilliant fast pace; Kasher spurs out his views and personal experiences on social relationships, the concept of love and gender sexuality, much like a rapid train of escalating comedic thoughts until it comes to a halting stop that erupts the entire theater in laughter. The audience, or at least I, was trying to keep up with his pace, laughing while listening intently, hoping not to miss a single word. Kasher put on an absolute great show Wednesday, and his special can be seen on Netflix called “Moshe Kasher: Live in Oakland.”
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Double Threat: Kumail Nanjiani & Friend (Thursday, June 13)
After rushing out of the David Cross show at the Chicago Theatre to catch Kumail Nanjiani’s show, I arrived a few minutes late, missing most of Sean Patton’s set.
Brian Posehn was Kumail’s “friend” for the night, performing a 20-minute set. Just an hour before, Posehn absolutely killed in the packed Chicago Theatre-a 3,600-seat venue-and he did just as well in a significantly smaller, much more intimate setting. His self-deprecating humor of self-hatred and unhealthiness was a common thread throughout his set, opening him up to draw comedy out of his physical traits, such as his newly formed, but quickly aging breasts. One of the most memorable, great bits I’ve heard at the festival was Posehn’s joke about serial killers and their lack of courage, premise being that murderers choose easy targets. Watching Posehn explain to the audience and seeing them come to agree with a unified laughter on a dark subject was as satisfying to me as the joke itself. You can see Brian Posehn’s new special, “The Fartist,” on Netflix.
Kumail Nanjiani finally came on to the stage, pointing out the few empty theatre seats and the audience members standing near the doorway to watch. It was only a second when Nanjiani described the setting as an example of the disparity of wealth in America, where the bystanders desperately want a seat but the seats are being used as a footrest. Those spontaneous riffs, like Nanjiani seems to do with ease, can capture a moment where the audience and comedian discover and enjoy something together.
When watching his set, I noticed Nanjiani has a great rhythm to his jokes, his voice racing faster with emphasized, harsh cadence as he describes an experience, like his first-time dentist visit in 6 years. There’s also a slight tone of sarcasm in Nanjiani’s material, which seems to help raise the absurdity of a bit. He explained how his newly, fixed tooth is now his “favorite tooth,” which he rewards it by giving it passion-fruit gum. One of my favorite parts of Nanjiani’s set was towards the end when he pulled out his pocket-sized notebook and began reading TV show names if a part of the title was replaced with the word, “horse,” such as “Desparate Horsewifes” or “So You Think You Can Horse.”
You can see Nanjiani’s new Comedy Central special, Beta Male on June 22 at 11 p.m. Central.
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Chelsea Peretti (8:30 PM Friday, June 14)
The opener was Clark Jones, a local Chicago comic, who is arguably among the best in the city’s stand-up scene. Jones has an immediately likeable presence, touching on various topics of his polarizing name, mentor father and experiences as a teacher. Jones has a level of patience to his jokes, which is a rare trait amongst comedians, showing how comfortable he is on stage. Because of that style of comedy, his punch lines seem to have a stronger surprise, filling the theater with laughter when it was nearly silent the previous second. (You can see Clark Jones with his co-host, Will Miles, at “Two Black Dudes and An Open Mic in Town Hall Pub June 25.”)
Similarly with Kasher, I caught Chelsea Peretti at The Lincoln Lodge last summer, where she destroyed in a full house. I didn’t wait to request tickets for Peretti, even though some of her material might have overlapped with prior year’s show, because there is a certain spontaneity when watching Peretti that makes a performance feel fresh. Along with her casual, fun cadence and specific mannerisms, it makes her an absolute joy to see. Peretti’s riffs on her “sassy” posture, firework sweater and occasionally tearful eyes added to the fun, laidback atmosphere of the show.
The best stand-up comedians can bring laughs upon personal topics, and Peretti did so when joking about her false sense of confidence, physical appearance and her loneliness. Subjects, such as those, can sometimes bring pity and uncomfortable feelings, but Peretti delivers her self-deprecation with a dose of silliness that makes it feel quite enjoyable to see. She goes far to joke about how great a blind boyfriend would be due to her insecurities. Listening to Peretti speak openly about her issues and vulnerabilities seemed to resonate strongly with the crowd, going with her to various topic without fear, but uproarious laughter. You can listen to Chelsea Peretti on her podcast, “Call Chelsea Peretti,” and see her in the fall alongside Andy Samberg on the newly picked-up Fox sitcom, “Brooklyn 99.”
