Riddle: What do you get when you put three veteran female comics together in a room?
Answer: A “Mother of a Comedy Show,” a fun-filled evening of laughs coming to the Jane Pickens Theater in Newport on Friday, July 14. Click here for tickets.
We spoke to Boston-based comedian Kelly MacFarland recently and got the scoop on the show.
“The Mother of Comedy show was born pre-pandemic,” said MacFarland. “We were working on the show, touring it around. It’s myself, Carrie Louise, and Christine Hurley. Collectively we have about 60 years of comedy experience between the three of us. We do this fun, no holds barred show where we talk about all the things that people are thinking about. We just say them out loud.”
Coming up on the Boston comedy scene can be a challenge, as MacFarland and fellow Bostonian Hurley know. “In the Northeast, we’re straight shooters, we like to be entertained, as long as you are ready to bring it a little, the audiences are here for it, they are supportive and really fun,” she said.
With the entertainment industry returning to “normal” this summer, I wondered how the pandemic affected her live shows.
“As a full-time comedian, I would say things are back to normal,” she noted. “I feel like people are really excited to be out. Although I think some people have forgotten how to go out. I know for me it gave me material. Anytime I’m forced into a new perspective, that’s great for my creative side; it gets the juices flowing. I tend to write better when I’m in crisis, so when the whole planet was in crisis, I definitely had some new material come out of it.”
Of course, the comedy world was experiencing change long before the pandemic hit. “A lot has changed, folks are worried about what they’re talking about, they’re worried about offending, they’re worried about saying the right thing, saying the wrong thing,” explained MacFarland. “I think we expect more now from people. If you’re going to say something provocative, deliver it through the lens of wanting people to think, to provoke thought, I think that is very welcome with most audiences. Times have been a little tough, but at the core, when they buy a ticket to the show, audiences want to be entertained, whether in Boston, Wisconsin or Texas.”
How does MacFarland handle hecklers? “Everyone has their own way of dealing with hecklers. I’m a three-strikes kind of person; we’ll give you one go, and I’ll be polite and charming; we’ll give you a second go, and I still might let you off the hook if you don’t have any malicious intent; and then the third time, we got to shut it down cause people are going to hurt you,” she laughed.
“I think the audience is more volatile than ever before; with social media, folks spend a lot of time watching videos of hecklers being destroyed, audience members taking control of a show. I just want people to have a good time, I want everyone to feel safe and supported. I either want you to gasp or to laugh – let’s pick one of those, and everybody do their part,” added MacFarland. “I’m working at Comix Mohegan Sun next week, and the head bouncer and I have a little code, I say, ‘can we get those guys some water.’ Sometimes they need a presence behind them, not a 4 foot 11 inch blondie telling them to shush.”
MacFarland is looking forward to playing Newport. “This show isn’t just for women,” she added. “We want everybody to come and have a good time. One of the things I love the most about doing this show, we’re friends that work together, and we have the best time, and it shows on stage. We’re excited to be coming to Newport!”
