By Laura Burns
Citizen Komedy: We promise the last words you hear here will be much funnier…
“Sometimes you just end up where you need to be,” my new random and admittedly intoxicated best friend imparted to me. “Isn’t it great?” On a whim, she’d followed a stand-up comedian from a McDonald’s to the Rosebud Diner, where he was scheduled to perform at the Citizen Komedy showcase.
Every Wednesday at 8 pm, local comics convene by some design in the back room of the Rosebud. The masterminds behind Citizen Komedy are two bald and beautiful stand-up comedians, Nick Ed Palm and Peter Rogier. When asked how they would describe the breed of comedy that can be found at the Rosebud, they agreed: “hair-raising.” The duo launched Citizen Komedy in October after a less successful attempt at hosting an open mic at Sligo Pub in 2010. Since their packed first Rosebud show, they’ve continued to draw crowds with a great line-up guaranteed every night.
One of the advantages of living and performing in Somerville, Nick and Peter explained, is the opportunity to self-start. Local comedians who want to perform and collaborate will find a space to suit their needs. For stand-up comedy, especially, the requirements for a performance venue are minimal. All that’s needed is room for an audience and a designated space for the performers. As Nick and Peter experienced, finding a space with a vibe that complements the performance is the trick.
This flexibility is also present in the types of comedians that are seen performing. “It’s a combination of comedy and anti-comedy, D-list comedians with A-list material, observational slapstick, Meat Loaf cover bands called Turkey Loaf, and, oh God, just real fun, weird, hair-raising (as we said) good stuff.”
Wednesday night’s show featured performances from Kate Ghiloni, Peter Martin, Al Park, and Andrew Durso (ED Note: Friend of the Editor Shoutout! Catch him at the Fresh Faces showcase at The Comedy Studio in Cambridge on 12/21), all locally grown artists. Closing out the evening was Mr. Goodnight, a resident man of mystery who I’ve personally never seen break character on or off stage.
That night, I left the diner confused but fulfilled and, most importantly, informed. If you remain open and alert, you’re sure to end up where you need to be. And if you’re lucky, on Wednesday nights, you’ll find yourself at the back of a local diner, reminiscing about GLOW.
