BEVERLY – In today’s visit to CONNECTIONS, educator and comedian Dave Rattigan makes some predictions for 2021 and talks about Thursday’s upcoming virtual comedy shows to benefit Gloucester Rotary programs.
From Rotary Club of Gloucester:
The Gloucester Rotary Club is taking a new approach to NYE Comedy!
Boston comedians Steve Bjork, Bethany Van Delft, Rick Jenkins, Dave Rattigan and Carolyn Riley lead a powerhouse lineup as two production companies combine forces and resources for virtual New Year’s Eve comedy presented by the Rotary Club of Gloucester.
Scamps Comedy Productions and The Comedy Studio will present shows at 7 and 9pm on Thursday, December 31, 2020, hosted by Comedy Studio founder Rick Jenkins.
Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 on the day of the show. A portion of proceeds will go to Rotary charities in the Gloucester community.
Jenkins will be joined by Bjork, 2019 Boston Magazine “Best of Boston Comedian” Van Delft, Rattigan, Riley, Dhaya Lakshminarayanan, Jim Ruberti, Jaylene Tran. Peter Bowers, a British professor-turned-comedian who has made performing at the Comedy Studio a New Year’s Eve tradition, will appear on the 7pm show.
“We had to cancel our annual Labor Day comedy fundraiser because of the pandemic,” said Gloucester Rotary President Leo Bergeron. “This won’t replace that, but it helps us offer the community a little comic relief at the end of a long year.”
“Normally New Year’s Eve is the greatest night of the year for stand-up comedy, but 2020 is not a normal year,” said Rattigan, a comedian who has received airplay on Sirius Satellite Radio and runs Scamps Comedy. “We were getting ready to do a scaled-back schedule of theater shows with very limited seating that would be both live and virtual, but when the state changed the rules on performing we had to go back to the drawing board, and we came up with this. Rick (Jenkins) and I have been friends for years, I love performing there, and their platform is the best I’ve seen among virtual comedy presentations.
“At this stage of the pandemic, virtual shows allow clubs and theaters to stay connected with their communities. Several non-profits that I normally do shows with had to cancel this year, so I also reached out to them. This will give everybody involved the chance to have some fun and enjoy a laugh at a time when we can all use a laugh.”
“We can’t all be together because of the pandemic, but the virtual forum allows us to reach out to comedians all over the region,” said Jenkins, who noted that Lakshminarayanan will be performing from California and Riley from New York.
