Comedy Key West captures the lighter side of the Southernmost City

Comedy Key West captures the lighter side of the Southernmost City

BY TERRY SCHMIDA

KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER

There’s nothing better than good stand-up comedy to banish worry from your mind – and Comedy Key West has it in spades.

Founder and impresario Joe Madaus and his girlfriend Anne Walters began presenting this showcase of local and imported talent 18 months on a mission to see if standup would work at the end of the road.

It currently takes place at 8:30 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays in the Blue Room of the Bottle Cap Bar, 1128 Simonton St.

On a typical night Joe will open the show with a monologue touching on topical subjects such as Facebook, drugs, traffic accidents, girls, Conchs, time shares, strippers, orgasms, movies, and schools, before introducing a lineup of local talent who are allotted five minutes each.

An out-of-town headliner then closes the show with a 45 minute set.

The shows are not only a great way to while away a night with friends, but also a chance to see people you know exhibit a side of their personality you never knew existed.

At a recent show, local Vic Lopez had the well-refreshed audience rolling the aisles over his description of his “Chex Mex” heritage, and his witty observations on boozing in the Keys.

“Anywhere else I would be an alcoholic,” Leopez said. “Here, I’m a moderate drinker.”

Walters, whose hilarious deadpan delivery could be a show of her own, then took the stage to introduce Dan Schwab, a frequent Comedy Key West performer.

Schwab titillated the crowd with lewd Easter Bunny tales ripped from recent headlines, while Chad Newman, who followed, had the crowd in stitches with jokes about vibrator speeds, unwanted X-rated photos, and by asking an unruly audience member if his name was “Dick.”

Cleveland-born Briannne Shomo, who referred to her hometown as “the mistake by the lake,” was a highlight of the show, bringing together auto-fellatio, stripper names, and Boyd’s Trailer Park, with her quick delivery and charismatic stage presence.

Other standouts included Key West’s Gwen Filosa, whose takes on cocaine abuse and lesbians elicited knowing chuckles from the crowd, and Stephanie Kaple, who wondered aloud about home pregnancy tests, and the last white rhino’s sex drive. He had three females to mate with and couldn’t be bothered to, Kaple said, adding that he was a “picky a-hole with commitment issues” who became the “first male to make an entire species lesbian.”

The headliner, Clyde Gordon of Miami, didn’t disappoint either.

His impressions of Cuban English teachers grading papers, and jokes about racism, sexual positions, Michael Jackson, and his hometown ended the show on a good note.

With tickets to the show only $20, and drink prices kept reasonable there’s nothing funny about missing this show.

Salty friggin’ language obviously. Under 21s not admitted. For tickets call 305-985-7370 or visit [email protected]

For information about booking Comedy Key West talent for private parties or office events, email [email protected]

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