Comedy Tonight!
Three Boston comedy stars with national reputations hit the stage to benefit the Walpole Footlighters on Friday and Saturday, November 16-17.
Dave Rattigan will host longtime New England headliner Bob Seibel and rising star Joe Wong on the shows, which take place at the Walpole Footlighters. Showtime both nights is 8 p.m. Tickets are now on sale and may be purchased through the box office at 508-668-8446 or online at http://www.footlighters.com/store/.
"Standup comedy has become very popular in theaters in the past few years, and we felt this was a great time for us to try it," said Rich Morton, President of the Footlighters. "The comedians enjoy performing in front of the theater crowds, with great performance spaces like we have here at the Footlighters. It's a different atmosphere than a comedy club. Our regular audiences will love it, and we hope some new folks come to the comedy show and then come back in the future for one of our other productions." The show will be suitable for a PG-13 rating.
Funds raised will go to a theater renovation project. "These guys are going to help us build new bathrooms," Morton said.
Rattigan’s quick, dry (and often clean) wit makes him a popular choice at theater shows, comedy clubs, fund raisers and corporate events all over the northeast United States. His Dave Rattigan: Thinks He’s Funny CD has received airplay on XM Satellite Radio and English-speaking stations around the globe. He hosts his own show each year at the Boston Comedy Festival. Among the many theaters he's performed at: The Cape Cod Melody Tent in Hyannis, Mass.; the South Shore Music Circus, Cohasset, Mass.; the Palace Theater, Manchester, NH; the Cabaret at Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, Conn.; the Ioka in Exeter, N.H.; and Jimmy Tingle's Off-Broadway Theater in Somerville, Mass.
At one time, the North-of-Boston resident played in a Walpole Sunday morning softball league, which helped him amass several speeding tickets. He didn't get many hits in the league, he said, but did break a finger. "It was the highlight of my athletic career," he said. "In my opinion, it was a very manly injury."
The self-styled "All American Immigrant," Joe Wong has come a long way from rosy-eyed American newcomer to a comedian blossoming into stardom on the Boston comedy scene. Since his surprise finish in the finals at the 2003 Boston Comedy Festival, Wong has been one of the busiest comedians in New England, working in theaters, clubs, fundraisers, colleges and other venues. As a student in China, Joe was fascinated by the vibrant American culture, and experienced it for the first time as a student at Rice University in Texas, where he wrote a popular humor column.
Moving to Boston after graduation, he became an immediate standup success. He was also the star of Joe Huang for President, a hysterically funny short film that won a first place award at the 2003 Cambridge Fringe Fest. His humor is not always easy to categorize, but it is always inspired. On his resume, under "other skills," he notes that he speaks better English than President Hu (of China).
Bob Seibel's press kit reads "Buffoon," and that's not too far off for the lifetime class clown from the working class city of Lynn. The son of German immigrants, Seibel tried factory work and school teaching before he discovered he could get paid for making people laugh. A quarter-century later, he's still one of the most requested acts in New England, headlining such top clubs as Nick's Comedy Stop in Boston and Giggles in Saugus, Mass. He's also a regular at the "Ding Ho Reunion" shows at Jimmy Tingle's Off-Broadway Theater in Somerville.
His high-energy act takes the audience on a fast-paced of off-beat tour of modern life. In addition to being one of the most requested acts in New England, he plays in Atlantic City and Las Vegas and on cruise ships. Although he's a world traveler and licensed pilot, his checkered past remains with him. When one old friend was asked if he'd like to take a flight with Seibel, the friend replied, "Fly with you? I wouldn’t get in a simulator with you!"
Tickets cost $20. For more information or to order tickets, call 508-668-8446 or go to our online store at http://www.footlighters.com/store/.