Zanies Rosemont - Amazing Room for Comedy!

   Comedy is most definitely like a drug.  I know a lot of comedians who have tried to "kick the habit" and failed (or shall I say succeeded!)  It is rooms like Zanies in Rosemont, IL who will suck you back in every time.  The outstanding sounds, lights and eager audience make well written jokes play like music.

     My own stand up comedy career has steered me towards daytime and early evening corporate events but the love of comedy clubs lurks around every next corner.

    Last Friday was Zanies Comedy Clubs "soft" opening night - let's say an "opening" night rehearsal.  I'd been offered a spot to be one of the first comedians to perform in the new room and I turned it down.  This was my husband's "baby" (My husband is Bert Haas - VP of Zanies) and I wanted him to soak up the credit and celebrate with him.  My only focus was giving him flowers on stage.  I wanted to tell him that after 25 years of "husband" jokes, it was absolutely time to say "thank you" and "congratulations" and "job so well done."   I wanted Bert to walk on stage and receive the flowers and get acknowledgement because he deserves it.  I did not plan to "do time" (comic's expression of performing on stage.)

  My idea did not seem to sit well with the host because he was concerned I might bring the show's opening to a "serious" or perhaps "emotional" halt and I completely understood.  He was concerned that the flowers might bring a slowing element to the stage that night and he asked that I first "do a little time."  I eventually agreed to perform but with great reservation.

    The reason for my reluctance was actually very internally acute.

    I resisted because I knew the comedy drug would kick in and kick in strong and I'd be back in the 2:00 a.m. comedy club scene mentality.  All my fears were well-founded.  With a glass half-full, I celebrate re-entry into late-night funny.

  The audience that night was outstanding and I've been "rehooked."  After many years of performing at daytime corporate events, I am re-entering the comedy club circuit.  Stand up comedy is a drug beyond personal control. Let all beware.  If you grow up seeing things "funny" and perform in a great room, there is no escaping.

France - Culture vs. Concrete

Don't misunderstand me - culture rocks!  Or do I mean a lot of culture is made of rocks, marble and concrete.

The good news is that we just returned safely from a trip to Paris.  The unfortunate news is that I traveled to France as a "debt" I owed to my husband who was kind enough to move from a Chicago suburb to a small town  that is one hour away from his place of work in downtown Chicago.  Bert runs Zanies in Chicago.  Thank goodness we both love to laugh.  It's saved our marriage, again, and again and again.

I appreciate Paris and all that it stands for but a visit wasn't necessary.  I'm afraid of airplanes and heights and I dread big cities because of the noise and overcrowding.  You'd think that would be a lifelong argument to not make the trip but Bert had romantic ideas from watching all those black and white movies that he loves so much.  He just forgot that I wasn't in any of them.

I have also become an "anti-hoarder."  After watching how the world works for so many years, I have very little appreciation for the material world.  Walking past shop after shop, after Parisian shop, I knew the costly and beautifully made clothes were wasted on this tourist.  Ever since our move to a small town I can't bear to go shopping.  I imagine every trinket for sale in a plastic garbage bag as it appeared when I donated and/or threw it out when I lightened the load in our new house.

Bert is obsessed with clothes.  He dresses well and puts on a great appearance.  We were the odd couple of this new black and white movie.

The best part of the days were the outstanding restaurants where we ate magnificent dinners.  I'd like to say there was no downside to this one however the downside is apparent the moment you enter the city.  Parisians are thin and they look good!  How do they do it?  We were now playing the part of the Fat Americans in our movie.  Well, it turns out they smoke quite a lot.  That fit well into the scene if our black and white came out in 1944.

What's important to me now is a healthy and loving family and making other people in the world feel good.  There's no store or monument for that.  It's building from the inside out.  I like to do it in green fields surrounded by rescue dogs or standing on stage and delivering stand up comedy that makes people laugh to tears.  My entire movie is in color and I love every minute of it!

Where'd I Go?

I'll admit. Blogging is a tough one for me. I tend to go, go, go and I have a hard time stopping to talk about it.

This week, we're getting ready to put on another clean comedy show in Wauconda. "Clean" comedy is being met with rave reviews as people are tired of the young and brash comedians of cable TV where anything goes. I find it ironic that we, as Americans, are so easily offended by political incorrectness and yet national television broadcasts every rude gesture, comment and word known to man. I see a gap.

Today I scheduled another corporate event which will be a get together for the women of Queen of Rosary Parish in Elk Grove Village. Although that's a bit of drive for me, the very nice woman who booked me said she lived in Lake Zurich. Ironically, we live about 10 minutes away from each other. Where did the conversation lead from there? We talked of the beautiful outdoors and (my personal) love of deer. I absolutely love the outdoors and thrive living near nature. Seeing a deer is a beautiful and peaceful experience for me.

When my family was looking at houses in this area, we were checking out the backyard of one of the homes. From behind a group of trees walk three deer - a mother, a father and their baby. It was a scene Disney creators would envy. My husband immediately asked the realtor, "Now how much did you pay to have the deer appear? You sure know what my wife likes." Unfortunately, the house was out of our range but I have since driven by it a couple of times hoping to see that vision again.

Life is good. One of my favorite quotes is, "It's not what happens to you in life, it is how you interpret it." What a fantastic freedom. I decided from that day - I will interpret everything as positive and "for the best." And do you know what?  It works.

Day 9 in a "Boot" Cast

It's been nine days since I broke my foot.  I have to say this is a heck of a lot easier than the wrist break I went through a few years ago.  Since I teach piano I really had to make some adjustments with a cast around my wrist and up my arm.

Breaking a foot can cause major disruptions in life including walking, driving, exercising, mowing, dancing, jumping, climbing, bike riding and the list goes on.  And for that reason, I decided to concentrate on the positive the minute that it happened.  My husband reiterated this when he said, "Don't think about what you can't do.  Think about what you can do!"  I imagine that should be a major thought every day we get up in the morning and we'd be on an eternal high.

Running up the driveway in backless clogs is never a good idea and I won't be doing that again.  If I hadn't been so cold, I guarantee I would have sauntered.  Now I appreciate each step that doesn't bring pain and I'm actually very happy.  The concerned looks on my friends' faces who even wince with a glance down haven't made my positive mental jump.  Every time I see a sad or worried face, I've decided I've made the better choice on how to react to my circumstances.  And I hope my positive mental attitude flows all the way down to my toes.

I never wait long to get up after an accident.  With five dogs who need to go to the dog park every day to stay sane, I really don't get a vote.  When I broke my wrist, I waited a day and returned to the park with a temporary cast on Day 2.  With a broken foot, I waited two days - only because my husband insisted on helping me with my furry crew.  Now I sneak the dogs to the park as soon as his car leaves the driveway.

I believe in healing through exercise and a positive outlook.  I will never let a doctor tell me what I can or can not do.  I will be doing it all again and that's that.  I've got a show in mid-January and I see myself doing that show with heels on even if I look like a coming out transvestite trying to walk in them

Live each day in full appreciation for all you can do and watch the world change in a moment!

Am I Really That Fat? A Photo Speaks!

One of the great things about stand up comedy is that it is a performance art.  And every performance artist is photographed whether they be a comedian, dramatist or Broadway dancer.  And boy do those photos speak!  Sometimes they scream!

As telling as a swimsuit shot, the photo taken on stage tells it like it is.  As horrible as this can be, it is equally wonderful.  I even been thankful for it as in a picture and video taken of me at The Chicago Comedy Festival four years ago.  My initial reaction was, "Who the heck is that!?!"  The supposed "baby doll" top that I wore that day screamed "Baby on Board!"  I knew something had to be done fast.  The very next day I enrolled in Jenny Craig and over the next three months I lost 20 pounds.  I felt reborn.  I felt one photo had saved my life.  Well, four years later after developing an addiction to very vanilla soy milk and honey graham crackers, I'm right back where I started.

I hired a professional photographer to take pictures of me on December 3rd, 2011 at The Energee Center Comedy Club in Wauconda, IL.  Brenda Lung Photography always does a great job and again Brenda pulled through!  However, mixed in with the excellent photography, there is always one photo begs a photoshop fix!  That is the photo that brought me to my senses - I don't have the figure I did in high school or even just four years ago.  How did I so massively digress!

I really do believe that both men and women continue to perceive their bodies as they looked in high school.  If you see a middle-aged man who looks like he carrying "full-term" hitting on a 25 year old babe, it is because his brain is living in denial.  He still sees himself wearing a football jersey who could either run 100 yards or even look great in full chest paint.  Women think like this too.  In my own mind, I see myself with skinny legs and a non-existent waist-line.  The clothes that I bring to the dressing room at T. J. Maxx are always too small.

And that is why I looked at many of my stage .jpgs from the Energee Center Comedy Club in horror. Surely the problem must be the lighting or the clothes or the hair (hair growing out! - also begging a quick fix.)  Rather than letting the depressing facts of an unhealthy diet consume me, I decided change must be imminent.  My ego and mental images of a fat-free high schooler would never let me back on stage again.

And so it is Day 4 of my diet.  Once again, I feel blessed to have the eye of a camera speak to me when others kept their thoughts to themselves.  The camera is my honest best friend who is able to snap me back to reality without a word or raised eyebrow.  I recently joined SparkPeople.com which is a social networking that helps people lose weight with health information and online friends.  It is a wonderful site to get that much-needed support and reassurance.  (Thank goodness my husband picked up a copy of "Good Housekeeping" in the doctor's office that day!)

Now it's onward and upward hoping for a better stage picture in January.  I'll post "before" and "after" pictures when I once again feel a wonderful sense of personal accomplishment!  Do you feel fat?  Don't ask your friends.  Take a picture!

We're Movin' On Up!

I have some fun shows coming up in the next couple weeks and 2012 but I have to say my favorite place to perform is my hometown of Wauconda.  When my friends, Vicki Laureys and Monica Jablonski decided to bring stand up comedy to Lake County (since the closing of Zanies) I never dreamed we'd open such a wonderful room.  When three women open a comedy club it is soooo different than a club run by a man.  Of course, I'm biased but the ambience of the room, the cleanliness of the bathrooms, the big smiles that greet customers when they walk in is something to that deserves recognition.  And we are happy - genuinely happy!  It's all new and we're reinventing ourselves.  Could three business women ask for anything more.

The room is comfy with so many different kinds of chairs that generates eclectic charm.  The comedians are so warmly welcome, they go on stage and immediately feel the supportive vibe.  I personally love the audiences who want to see you succeed.  Do you know what you get when you give positive energy to a comedian - a super show.  We're the little kids who used to spin in circles or do magic tricks or lip-sink songs while the adults egged us on.  The positive nature of the Lake County crowds is instrumental in the great shows that have hit home since the opening on October 8th.

You can have Hollywood, the glitter, the glare, the noise and the traffic.  I'll take Wauconda because comedy, for me, is to make people feel good!  And it happens here.

Lake County's Clean Comedy Stage - The Energee Center Comedy Club

    Writing the words "clean comedy" was a little bit difficult for me this morning.  It reminds me of the scarcity of clean comedians in the Midwest and that can be a real problem when a headliner cancels.  Last night, the Energee Center's headliner for Saturday night canceled his appearance because he had the opportunity to open for a John Pinette in Milwaukee at the Pabst Theater.  Being a comedian myself, I know that performing at a large venue is something difficult to resist.  It makes your spirit and soul really come alive.  However, now that I also "book" fellow comedians for a venue it also is a heart stopper with only 24 hours to find a clean comedian to fill the headliner's shoes.

My husband, Bert, who books Zanies is a real treasure in a situation like this.  Thank goodness I am married to someone "in the business" who offers moral support along with a good dose of humor whenever stress feels overwhelming.  Although Bert was at TV taping at the Zanies' downtown club, he took the time to reach deep in his little black book to begin firing out suggestions.  Of course, as a wife, I also had to swallow my pride every time he said, "Now you see, my job isn't easy."  The correct response is "Oh yes dear.  I know, and you work so hard."  (I did resist the comedic impulse to say the words in a robot voice.)

They say when God closes a door, he opens a window and I'm a big believer in that.  In this case, he opened a large picture window.  With Bert's suggestion, I reached Bill Gorgo, who can be described as a white Bill Cosby.  His delivery is conversational and in moments you will be laughing to tears and yet not be quite sure how you got there.  The best part is I haven't seen Bill Gorgo in at least 10 years and yet because of my long history in comedy I know he is a perfect fit for the relaxed and very friendly atmosphere of the Energee Center Comedy Club.

I'm proud to be on the roster tonight with Michael Issac (who just got a national Walmart commercial!) and Bill Gorgo.  Onward and upward with clean comedy.  It is always just within reach - with the help of family and friends.