Performing at Zanies Comedy Club with Carrot Top - Behind the Scenes

CARROT TOP

          Before Carrot Top landed a very sweet consistent gig in Las Vegas, he took his very funny prop comedy act on the road.  I first met Carrot Top at Zanies Comedy Club in Chicago.  Carrot Top was headlining for the week and I was the feature act.

     I knew I had a rough road ahead of me because pre-plastic surgery Carrot Top was a very cute redhead and he already had a huge fan base.  When a comedian becomes semi-famous and draws a crowd, his or her fans do not relish the twenty to thirty minutes they spend watching the feature, or middle act. 

    The room was packed and Carrot Top Fever was in the air. I delivered the best show I could but the impatient crowd did not return my energy.  I felt defeated.  That sense of defeat was amplified when Carrot Top hit the stage.  The crowd went wild with his first “How you guys doin’?”

     Carrot Top can work a room.  Each prop and joke surpasses the cleverness of the one preceding it.  At the time, his piece de resistance was a joke about fellow comedian Pee Wee Herman who had recently been arrested for indecent exposure.  Pee Wee Herman starred in his own funny children’s show even adults enjoyed.  However, he fell out of grace when he was caught playing around in a movie theater – with his privates.

     Carrot Top held up a jumbo popcorn container with a big hole in the bottom and shouted out, “Pee Wee Herman’s Popcorn Box!”  The crowd went wild.  It was a true eruption.  The audience was totally in sync with their comedy hero and it was in stark contrast to the ambivalent way they had welcomed me.

     I wanted to level the playing field.  I decided to play a joke on Carrot Top during the second show scheduled for that night.

     Following Carrot Top’s awesome performance, he chatted with fans and then made a beeline for the second floor green room where he could rest, relax and gather his thoughts for the second show.  Carrot Top did not watch my show and I decided to take advantage of that fact.  He would not know what I was planning while on stage.

     The second show started and I was met with the same ambivalence as the first.  They wanted Carrot Top.  I decided to get in on Carrot Top Fever.

     Because he left his trunk full of props on stage I had access to Carrot Top’s entire act.  I opened the trunk and saw the giant popcorn container with the hole in the bottom.  I held it up to the audience I said, “This is one of Carrot Top’s favorite jokes.  Let’s play a trick on him.  When he holds up this container and says, ‘Pee Wee Herman’s popcorn box ‘(big laugh), don’t make a sound – not a sound!”  I could see the delight in the faces of Carrot Top’s fans.  Everyone loves a good joke.

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     Carrot Top was at his best.  The crowd was with him and he was getting ready for the kill.  He reached into his trunk of wonders and pulled out the popcorn container.  “Ladies and gentlemen,” he said in a booming voice, “Pee Wee Herman’s popcorn box!”  ….  Silence…. Not a sound!  “Ladies and gentlemen – Pee Wee Herman’s popcorn box!” he shouted again.  Nothing!  The Carrot Top fans were pulling through for me!  I was stunned, delighted and even a little bit scared (of who might be kind of upset!) 

     “Ladies and gentlemen,” Carrot Top said as he stooped forward toward the crowd, “What don’t you guys get?  This is funny.  Really.  This is funny!  How can you not laugh at that?” Carrot Top held it up one last time, waved it around and dejectedly gave it a long toss into his long black trunk.

     Facing a sea of Carrot Top fans, his loyal audience let me into their circle to have some fun that night. Carrot Top demonstrated great sportsmanship when he found out the audience was in on the joke.  He took it all in good spirits and that night he was generous enough to let everyone share in the spotlight.

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.

The Charlie's Angels of Comedy in Lake County

       Charlie's Angels have hit the comedy scene!   These new angels come in the form of three women who are reinventing themselves as comedy club lovers and designers of Comedy LaughIn in Wauconda.  Just a day ago, I met with my fellow angels Monica and Vicki to discuss our new venture.  It seemed odd that only a month ago we had the idea to feature clean comedy in room adjacent to Vicki's Salon and Spa on Route 59 in Wauconda.  One month later, we put on a show in an intimate room that had the warmth of an eclectic coffee house, complete with the smell of fresh popcorn as you walked in the door.  Great thing about women opening a comedy club - comedians are clean, room has the warmth of an old coffee house and yes, the bathroom in clean!

     The positive energy that filled the room on October 8, opening night, was undeniable.  Over and over again, we heard, this is such a fun and friendly place.

     All three of us feel as if we are on the verge of something wonderful - a place for friends and family to gather for laugher .... and everybody knows your name (if you wear a name tag).

     Vicki, Monica and I talked about this Friday's show.  With 30 reservations already in place, there is a definite need for laughter in Lake County.  At our meeting, we discussed our limited budget which oddly enough makes putting on a show even more exciting.  With a mix-match of chairs, a scavenger hunt for nice tea cups and relatives making coffee cake, this all has a small town feel.  It's a nice escape from corporate America for us and all of our "guests."

   

Comedy LaughIn Comes to Lake County!

     We've lived in Wauconda for over a year now and it is quite an adjustment from downtown Arlington Heights (and prior to that the City of Chicago).  Thankfully, it is a welcome adjustment that I cherish every day as I walk with my five dogs in Wauconda's serene and pastoral dog park.

     What do I miss most?  The nearby comedy scene, of course.  With the closing of Zanies Comedy Club in Vernon Hills, it is a solid 45 minute drive to another similar establishment.  However, with the arrival of ComedyLaughIn (ComedyLaughIn.com), a new comedy stage is coming to Wauconda that is the brainstorm of Monica Jablonski, Vickie (the "Vickie" of Vickies' Personal Salon and Spa), and myself.  We're thrilled there will be another entertainment venue nearby that will give audiences a place to laugh and relieve stress and allow their spirits to soar!

  Right now ComedyLaughIn is a once a month venture until January 1, 2012.  After that, the future is wide open to us as the present tenant leaves the premises.

     Opening week, I will perform clean stand up comedy from my one person show "Family Lunacy!"  My son, Steven Haas  will open for me.  He is one of Zanies' fastest rising stars with his clean material written brilliantly (Yes, that's the word on the comedy circuit.)

     Admission is $20.  It is a flat fee because it is a BYOB venue.  (No hidden costs or tips.)

     Best of all, the young people of Wauconda will now have a entertainment destination that includes laughter, fun and friendships.

     I love Wauconda for so many reasons.  And now I love it even more!  Visit ComedyLaughIn at 349 South Barrington Road in Wauconda.

 

Comedians Pay - $2.00 and a Free Drink!?

     New young comedians are now paying to take the stage!  Certainly this must be a joke!  (Pun may be intended - it's your call.)

     As a new comedian, I was thrilled to perform.  I started at the Comedy Cottage in Rosemont, IL where comedians could perform for 5 minutes and receive $2 in pay, plus a free drink.  No one questioned the pay.  We were so happy to be on stage in a room that was "hot."

   The Comedy Cottage was an ideal size for stand up comedy and it had great acoustics.  It was a money making a machine!  Did I mention that the performers were paid $2.00?  Oh yes, I think I did.

  On both the east and west coasts, comedy was hot.  Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, David Letterman, Drew Carey were just a few of the comedians getting their start.  They performed at places like "Catch A Rising Star" in N.Y. and "The Comedy Store" in L.A.  Their pay - $5.  The club owner referred to it as "gas money."  The stand up comedy club scene was on fire.  The clubs were raking it in.  Did I mention that Jay Leno (who has always been a superior comedian) received $5.  Yep.  I think I did.

    Eventually the comics cried, "Enough is Enough!" and the comedy writers and performers went on strike.  They demanded to be paid.  They demanded respect.  They wanted to be appreciated.  I can personally tell you that while the writers strike was on, television entertainment was at an all new low.  I sure missed the talents of my incredibly funny peers.

  The result of the strike was a decent paycheck for services rendered.  Comedy is a business too.  Comedians need food and shelter and they need to be appreciated for their talents.  The strike made the world seem right again!  (More tomorrow on the comedy scene.)