Joe Powers Healing Blowout - 11.20.8By: Abbi Crutchfield

SING ALONG WITH COLIN  "You're comedians. You don't give a f---" --Colin Quinn | Photo: Abbi Crutchfield

Last Thursday, Gotham Comedy Club filled to capacity to benefit New York comedian Joe Powers, who suffered serious injuries from a fall last August. Featuring an all-star lineup, the Blowout was hosted by Meg Cupernall and Mara Herron. The crowd included many comics, creating a situation that performers either consider challenging or comforting. But Arj Barker's first line "There's a lot of pirates now," was met with applause -- a sure sign the audience was ready for fun.

Mara Herron | Photo: Abbi Crutchfield

Barker delivered short jokes covering lots of topics, and from a technical standpoint, showed a new way to solve a rookie dilemma: At the end of his set, rather than interrupt his joke to figure out how the mic stand worked, Barker lifted the stand to replace the mic and then lowered the stand as he left. Ted Alexandro followed with hilarious scenarios of how he is not funny in real life.

The event coordinator, Becky Donohue, used her typical high energy and explosive stage presence to relate growing up Colombian and Irish in a Jewish neighborhood. Kyle Grooms followed with his spot-on Obama impersonation. He strayed from his material to tease an audience member, "Could you please laugh with the rest of the group? [This] sniper laughter's f---in' me up."

Christian Finnegan's abstract set-ups made it hard to predict the punch lines: "Being a realtor is like being a reporter for Al Jazeera…" He discussed what to consider when buying a house and how his horrible roommate situation trumps all of ours.

Colin Quinn (of SNL, Seinfeld documentary and Tough Crowd fame) closed the show with topical humor: the economy, Obama, Hollywood hotspots in Africa, and an exploration of the mundane: "How about the people who," the opening line to a string of premises about folks we can't stand.

Quinn wondered aloud what else he'd talk about before adding, "You're comedians. You don't give a f----." It was a great night to come together for a great cause.

RELATED COVERAGE
• Drink at Work (Follow through to donation link)
• The Comic's Comic

--Abbi Crutchfield is a standup comic and co-producer of The Living Room. She recently wrote about Elon James White.

Comments

[soce]

It was great that there was such an outcropping of support, and it's wonderful that he's starting to recover. He's a very nice guy, and I wish him all the best.

[Mike]

Joe Powers is a wonderful person, thanks for doing this everyone.