oh, you funny
Anyone recognize this guy? His name’s Bill Chott. He was in The Ringer with Johnny Knoxville but his most recognizable work is on Saturday Night Live’s Ambiguously Gay Duo. I mention it because he’s performing this weekend at the New Orleans Improv Festival along with a whole gaggle of other groups and entertainers from around the country as well as locally. The festival starts tomorrow evening and runs every evening through Sunday (Nov 12) tickets on sale at the door so get there early.
I stopped by last week and spoke with Yvonne Landry, the owner and met some of the troupe as well. They’re really an, uh, “interesting” group of people. If you’ve never seen half a dozen comic types trying to rebuild a flooded comedy club from the ground up, you’re missing out. I stopped by again last night, and to my surprise, the place was actually in the final stages of being ready to go. It’s a great space with a new stage, new tables and chairs, etc. And who knows, a certain metroblogger may well be working the door or, God Forbid, bar tending for the festival. There will be beer and wine available so you can get your stagger on.
Also, it was interesting that classes will be starting soon. Improv is so popular in other cities but doesn’t seem to have caught on here as well. I wasn’t very familiar with the Freret Street area before the storm - it’s sort of a fluke of the city that you tend to stay in whatever part of town you live in. But apparently, Yvonne and her mooks have been there for a number of years which is impressive given how bad the area was before the storm. Thankfully, the crime rate hasn’t rebounded as well in that area as others. The neighborhood is still trying to define itself - especially the Freret Street Corridor. This festival and the impact of The Comedy Connection as an early returning business should help. I’m hopeful that this is one of the first in a long line of businesses opening on Freret Street in the coming months. So come on out and support The Comedy Connection for their Second Annual New Orleans Improv Festival. It promises to be loads of fun, plus, afterward, we’ll all go out and get nice and drunk. What a deal!
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You now have:
1) pride in your neighborhood,
2) enthusiasm for a local going-on, and
3) incentive to keep working on both, despite the daily hassles you have to deal with.
Life is now officially grand. Good to see things in focus for you these days. Enjoy.
Grand eh? That’s generous. Should be a fun weekend. It’s really a great group of people. Plus, it turns out I will be bartending all weekend. Sweet. Bartending three blocks from my house at a comedy club….now that has the potential to be grand.