Comedy Tonight Season at Racine Theatre Guild
A seventh season of Comedy Tonight - four Saturday evenings of professional comedy - gets started on November 5th.
Saturday, November 5, 8 p.m.
Pat Hazell
Showtime declared Pat Hazell one of the five funniest people in America. He’s one of the original writers for Seinfeld. Tonight Show, Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, My Life in 3D and Grounded for Life are also among his TV writing credits. Bunk Bed Brothers and The Wonder Bread Years are two of his critically acclaimed plays (both have been performed by John McGivern). A contributing commentator to NPR, Hazell is recognized for his genuinely funny Americana humor and his salute to pop culture.
“Hazell’s assured delivery of his words and a stellar performance keep this from being just another baby boomer homage.”--Variety
Saturday, January 7, 8 p.m.
Mike Toomey in TV and Me
Travel back in time to TV Land, circa 1960-70. This multimedia presentation features over 300 slides and sound bites, plus Toomey’s dead-on impersonations of TV celebrities. He’ll relate how his childhood television watching has shaped his adult life, and share unique observations about favorite programs and characters.
“Wow! He does Batman better than Batman!”—Frank Gorshin, the Riddler on Batman
“Michael, congratulations to you for succeeding in making people laugh all over the country!”— Henry Winkler, The Fonz on Happy Days
“I think somebody watches a little too much Brady Bunch.”—Christopher Knight, Peter on The Brady Bunch
Saturday, February 11, 8p.m.
The Baby Boomer Comedy Show
Want a great night of comedy that you can relate to? Baby boomers and veteran comedians Jan McInnis and Kent Rader hit all the familiar topics—family, kids, work, do-it-yourself projects, dieting, aging—and they do it with clean humor that’s been a hit at thousands of appearances. Kent performs in comedy clubs from New York City to Seattle, won the 2007 Branson Comedy Festival, and is heard on NPR’s Talk of the Nation and Sirius satellite radio. Jan was featured in the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post as one of the top convention comedians.
“Kent Radar and Jan McInnis are a dynamic duo of comedy. Our audience was rolling as Kent and Jan hit humor homerun after homerun.”—Morrie Enders, Lincoln Community Playhouse
Saturday, March 24, 8 p.m.
ComedySportz 
A perennial favorite, ComedySportz returns with teams of comedy “actletes” competing for laughs. A match consists of seven to twelve improvisational games drawn from a vast repertoire of over 100 games, like “Shakespeare,” “Elimination Rap” and “Forward/Reverse.” Scenes and songs are made up on the spot. A referee keeps things moving and calls foul if an actlete steps outside the boundaries of good taste. The audience makes suggestions and determines the winners. Every performance is unique, with different players, different games, and different audiences supplying new ideas. ComedySportz is good clean fun for all ages.
SPECIAL EVENT!
Two Shows Saturday, March 31, 4 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Photo courtesy of John Michael Kohler Arts Center (www.jmkac.org)
American Fiesta
Written by Steven Tomlinson
Starring Emmy-Award winning Actor John McGivern
Directed by Jenny Wanasek
An obsessive collector on a quest for the perfect piece of vintage Fiestaware deals with his parents' opposition to his same-sex marriage. His antic journey across America sheds light on our cultural/political divide and the prospect of finding common ground. This witty, hopeful tale of imperfection & acceptance was voted "Best Play by an Emerging Playwright" in 2006 by the American Theatre Critics Association.
Tickets: $22 adult $20 senior / student
