Professional stand-up comics Frances Dilorinzo and Brandon Vestal headlined the second Comedy Night in the CacheARTS 2022-23 National Touring Season at the Ellen Eccles Theatre on Feb. 14.
LOGAN – Following a second, successful foray into stand-up comedy at the Ellen Eccles Theatre on Feb. 14, it seems that the Cache Valley Center for the Arts has definitely found the trick to making that entertainment genre work here.
After all, an audience of about 500 happy, laughing fans can’t be wrong.
Stand-up routines had been tried here before, most recently by the Logan Dance Club, at the Cache Bar and by Utah Public Radio at a New Year’s bash. Mostly, those attempts fell flat.
Regional comics who appeared as warm-up acts at clubs in Ogden and Salt Lake City scratched their heads and muttered darkly about “… tough crowds.”
When Wendi Hassan, the CacheARTS executive director, announced that three comedy nights were scheduled during the Eccles Theatre’s 2022-23 National Touring Season, most local theater-goers were somewhat dubious.
Back in October, the first comedy night played out with veteran comic and new Logan resident Keith Barany hosting, plus Chicago funnymen Rocky LaPorte and Tim Walkoe as headliners.
That show was good, but it played to a sparse audience of about 120 people, evenly divided between senior citizens and university students.
The crowd’s laughter was a little tentative and I couldn’t help wondering whether “word of mouth” would help or hurt the next scheduled Comedy Night.
I shouldn’t have worried.
A crowd about four times the size of the October audience turned out on St. Valentine’s Day looking to have fun and two touring comics delivered for them.
The show killed, as they say.
Once again, Barany served as master of ceremonies, warming up the audience with gentle jokes about living in Utah; amusing comparisons between Logan and Brigham City; and even the local public transit system.
The brunt of Barany’s routine, however, fell on hapless American Airlines.
Next up was the svelte Frances Dilorinzo, who rifted on the perils of being trapped at home with a husband and two sons during the pandemic; the trials and tribulations of performing for cruise ship audiences; and a hilarious gag about a teenage girl on the phone.
Dilorinzo also worked the crowd about St. Valentine’s Day, long pre-engagements and delicately tip-toed around the taboo subject of sex, thanks to one mother who was accompanied by her 12-year-old daughter.
The show had been clearly advertised as being rated PG-13.
Her set was articulate and punctuated with uninhibited physical comedy.
Brandon Vestal heaped more coals on the fire about American Airlines, which is obviously not the comic set’s favorite way to travel.
Then Vestal teed off on Laughlin, Nev.
Later he casually destroyed travelers in long lines for entrance to the M&M Store in Las Vegas.
“Trust me,” Vestal deadpanned, “you have access to M&M’s back home.”
Delivered almost in a monotone, Vestal’s set was like a slightly demented stream of consciousness.
This second night of comedy went smoothly under the confident control of three professional comics who knew just how to break the ice with an audience and to jolly the crowd along.
That’s apparently the trick to performing stand-up comedy successfully in Logan.
Who knew it could be that simple?
The Ellen Eccles Theatre will host its final Comedy Night of 2023 on Thursday, April 13.
Tickets for that show are available at the theater’s box office at 43 South Main Street in Logan or online at https://cachearts.org.