Young, fresh & funny
By Christopher Muther, Globe staff
Pardon the rimshot analogy, but Boston has almost as many comedians as Jackie Collins has euphemisms for the word ‘‘buxom.’’ Well, perhaps not that many, but their ranks are indeed plentiful. Spend an evening in one of the city’s many comedy clubs, though, and it quickly becomes apparent that not all comedians are created equal — finding the truly talented comics can be tough.
‘‘Often times you wince, although sometimes you can be pleasantly surprised,’’ says comedy club veteran Tony V.
To avoid the wincing and to find jokesters who are worthy of your time and a two-drink minimum, we went directly to the experts: Lisa Markham, who books comedians for Dick Doherty’s clubs; Rick Jenkins, who books for the Comedy Studio at the Hong Kong restaurant; and Tony V., who hosts several open mikes and has been making people laugh for 23 years. Everyone knows the established names in local comedy: Kevin Knox, Kelly MacFarland, Paul Nardizzi, the Walsh Brothers, and the omnipresent R-rated hypnotist guy. We challenged Markham, Jenkins, and Mr. V. to name the city’s freshest new comedians, folks who are just beginning their careers but are showing real promise, real early. Here, in no particular order, are the most talented neophytes Boston comedy has to offer.
Bottom row, from left, Dan Boulger, Rebecca Anderson, and Elisha Yaffe. Back row, Orlando Baxter and Amy Tee.
Young, fresh & funny
Amy Tee, admits to being 20-something
What's your shtick?
My comedy is all true. I talk about everything from my days as an overweight kid to my current lesbian relationship and just getting married. I used to be really fat, so I do a segment about being fat and now going to the gym and being a personal trainer. I think true comedy is the best. I'm working on a new bit right now about people who don't wash their hands after using the restroom. The flush and rush. I'm trying to embarrass people into something they should be doing.
Who responds best to your comedy?
There are some clubs where I get really nervous when I do some of the gay stuff. I watch the crowd as they're coming in and think, ''I don't know if this is going to work.'' I make jokes about being a stay-at-home mom to three pugs, because that's what lesbians do, we raise dogs. I twist it back to make fun of the stereotypes. The gay people like my stuff, but I get a good reception with a mixed crowd as well. I'm not dwelling on the fact that I'm a lesbian. I have fun with it.
How did you get into comedy?
This has always been a dream of mine, so I took a five-week course at a community college.