Laughing Together

There is nothing quite like heading out on the town knowing the evening will be filled with laughter. Laughing at home by yourself or with one or two other people is one thing.  Don’t get me wrong, I love to laugh and I’ll take it in all forms but there’s something about sitting in a theater full of people laughing together that is tremendously satisfying. Such was the evening last week when stand up comedian Kathleen Madigan, currently on her Boxed Wine and Bigfoot tour, stopped by Hoyt Sherman Place. 

If you have not heard of Madigan or watched her two specials available on Netflix get on that immediately, she will not disappoint. Madigan’s sets tend to blend personal stories and observational humor. She carried a grin most of the set that seemed to indicate that she doesn’t take herself too seriously and seems to actually enjoy comedy as a craft. Madigan expertly mines her family for some of her richest material. When she details some of the humorous eccentricities of her large Irish Catholic family you can sense the complicated, knotted ball of yarn that is equal parts love and irritation. Last week some of her funniest material was about her parents and their questionable understanding of reality. Apparently at one point they hatched a plan to drive to Mexico to seek out cheaper prescription medication.

Madigan’s material did not veer into overly political territory. She got in a few barbs against Trump but it was her diatribe on the advanced age of the leaders of both parties (and her brief impressions of Nancy Pelosi, Paw Paw Orrin Hatch and Mitch McConnell) that brought down the house. Aside from that it was a refreshing night off from the reality show that is the current state of affairs. 

Madigan radiates an easy-going sensibility and, despite her often self-deprecating humor, is clearly quick witted. When any stand up comedian pulls from his or her own life or uses family members as fodder for material it’s hard not to wonder how much the eccentricities are exaggerated for effect. But maybe that doesn’t matter. If the result is hilarious then perhaps that’s just another skill: spinning a good yarn. Madigan has been on the stand up circuit for many years and tours most of the year so there is no reason you can’t get out there to check out her set in a city near you. Or at the very least check out her Netflix specials from the couch of your choosing.