Two nights of comedy, that will never be fully described in print, rocked the Emerald Isle with laughter recently. A hilarious Saturday night of all female comics, followed by a raucous mix Sunday night, attracted residents and out-of-town comedy buffs and scouts.
A bar of many faces, one side of the Emerald Isle is a normal Dorchester-Irish bar, but once a month the Isle hosts comedy nights that draw crowds to its large event room. Ed Regal, owner/manager of the Emerald Isle and man of many talents, also books the talent and is a fun-loving Master of Ceremonies for the comedy nights.
The recent Saturday night that featured an all female ensemble, with the usual mix of locals and out-of-towners, featured: Julie Perkins, both as a spoon and a human; Debra Farrar-Parkman, an Emmy winning TV Producer and Dorchester native; and Betsy Wise, a comedian imported from California for the evening who recently won “Best-of-the-Fest” at the Montreal Comedy Festival-and judging by her performance the other evening, she earned it.
Saturday night’s acts, though, concentrated on stereotypical female humor, primarily aspects of their weight or about their boyfriends. That said, the evening was still a howling good success, but as great as Saturday night was, Sunday exceeded it with an overabundance of acts.
Gary Gulman was one of the notable performers Sunday night. After a surprisingly good set, Gulman tried out a few new bits, like his observation that, in Boston, “pal” and “buddy” mean the same thing as asshole-as in, “What’s your fucking problem, buddy?” Or, “Hey pal, could you move out of my fucking way?”
John David, a blond, stubble-faced wild man, was also another of the standouts of the evening.
But the headliner, Tony V, was the highlight of Sunday night. Tony V is a well-known comic in the Boston area, a Charlestown native who regularly works clubs in the area, has appeared on “Seinfeld,” worked at WZLX-FM, and has taught comedy classes at UMass Boston.
Tony proved why he’s a Boston favorite by keeping the crowd in stitches for over a half hour, mixing some of his standard material, (“thumbless guy”) with some new stuff (“they keep putting people on the Zakim Bridge-how about putting some cars on it?”). Tony also successfully improvised while dealing with audience members of varying degrees of sobriety.
There will be another professional comedy night at the Emerald Isle on Saturday, November 9, but there is also an open mic night on Tuesday, October 29, for aspiring comedians. Admission is $10. Interested parties should contact the Emerald Isle at (617) 288-0010.