Since late last year, the Monroe Center’s Comedy Show has featured Comedy Central comedians twice a month at Shade’s Restaurant, 720 Monroe St. in Hoboken. The show is one of 18 shows in five states produced by Soul Joel Productions that feature up-and-coming comics like Comedy Central’s Julian McCullough and Sirius radio’s Jimmy Q.
From the Jersey Shore to Greenwich Village, the comics have performed the tri-state area comedy circuit heavily in the past five years. But their work is not all fun and games. Jimmy Q founded Cause to Laugh, an organization using laughter to raise funds to fight childhood cancer. The organization has raised over $4,000 for Memorial Sloan Kettering’s Pediatric Cancer Center.
With the addition of “Soul” Joel Richardson, the three comics will perform at the restaurant on March 28 at 9 p.m. Tickets are $10. Doors open at 8 p.m. with music from Paul Strayfer. For more information on the show, please visit: souljoelproductions.com.
Favorite one-liner: “Girls in New York City are really into money. And, when you approach them they’re like, ‘What are you going to bring to the table?’ I say, ‘Well, you’re going to have to bring the table.’ ”
Worst crowd: “It was on St. Patrick’s Day at the Comedy Cellar on McDougal [in New York City]. Half the crowd was really into the set, and the other half was either sleeping or screaming indiscriminately. I don’t mind a heckler. But when the whole room is wasted, there’s really not much you can do.”
How’s Hoboken treating ya?
“It’s very similar to performing in New York, actually. The audience knows what’s going on. If you’re out in the Poconos, or the middle of nowhere, you have to lay low on the sarcasm. The audience knows you’re from New York and you don’t want to come off like a snarky asshole. But in Hoboken you can be whatever you want. Plus everybody drinks. So, that makes it easier.”
Best April Fool’s Day prank: “I always forget. I mean, I’m a comedian, so I never know what day it is. People usually get to me first.”
Have any funny stories from the road?
“Comedians always make fun of each other. It’s how we pass the time; no one takes it personally. If the crowd really liked the last comedian, you can sometimes crack a joke or two. But if he bombed, you can’t. I never really get to make fun of Joel.”
Favorite jokes: “One of the biggest inspirations for my jokes is how people mispronounce my name depending on nationality. My family is a great inspiration, too – especially my 87-year-old grandfather. He gets a lot of laughs.”
Worst show: “Once I was performing at the Jersey Shore right after the Giants huge Super Bowl run. People had been drinking since 11 a.m. I don’t even think they knew they were at a comedy show.”
How does Hoboken compare to other venues?
“Everybody is really into comedy and the arts, and supporting live entertainment. It’s a great place to get a laugh.”
Have any funny stories from the road?
“There are always two shows going on: one for the audience and the other for the comedians. You see the comedians go on so many times that you have to have fun with it. If the other comics don’t make fun of you, they probably don’t like you.”
Favorite one-liner: “I’m a bald guy, but I don’t mind. I see a young guy on the street with a full head of hair and I ask him how old he is. ‘22’ he says. ‘Take a good look’ I say. ‘Here’s your future, tough guy.’ ”
How’d you get your start?
“I was at an open mic a few years ago and got thrown on stage. I bombed badly. Nobody was listening, nobody laughed. But I had a lot of fun doing it. Since then, I found my niche. I do voices from all different nationalities. It’s a lot of fun when somebody calls from a telemarketing company. [In an Irish accent] ‘No, no. He’s not here. He doesn’t live here anymore.’ But, I talk about me and about anger management, babysitting, real stories about real situations that real people can relate to. I point out the ironies.”
How do you like Hoboken?
“It’s a really hopping city and has a great young crowd. The people are always looking for a good laugh – and people could really use a good laugh these day.”
Have any good pranks from the road?
“We were doing a show in Pittsburgh and I was going to meet Joel at the show. So I called him from the road at about 4:30 p.m. and told him we were still in New York waiting for one of the other guys to get there. We would have never made it in time to perform. He was calling people and freaking out. After an hour of making him sweat, we finally told him. I was still an hour away from the place, but I told him to look behind him, and I could actually feel him on the phone looking for me. He didn’t know what was going on. It was a lot of fun. It’s been great working with everybody at Soul Joel Productions. They’re the ones out there making it happen.”
Sean Allocca can be reached at current@hudsonreporter.com