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You Can’t Deny the Comedy Connection
Written by Paul BlumerThursday, 28 January 2010 01:07
A Merkin is a Pubic Wig — and They Do Exist
"It’s funny ‘cause it’s true.”
Have you seen a show at the Wilbur? If you’re shaking your head, or getting ready to turn the page—stop! After reading this, go look at the schedule online and shell out for something that catches your eye. Eddie Griffith, Pauly Shore, Stiffler’s Mom, Jeff Garlin, Norm MacDonald—if none of those names catch your eye, either you’re not paying attention, or your drab and not into comedy. The venue is superb, and—like all such antiquated buildings—may not be around forever. So see it now. From the cheery doormen checking IDs, to the harried waitresses floating around scribbling drink orders, to the spot-lit comedian on stage, everything is in its proper place as the backdrop to hilarity and exhausted laughing muscles.
The Wilbur, located in the heart of the Theater District near a delightful place named Intermission Tavern, is one of Boston’s premier comedy venues. The first thing you see, as you walk in from the cold, is an impressively stocked bar. From the hallway comes the murmur of a multitude, all sitting at narrow six-seat tables perpendicular to the stage. Overhead the mezzanine is leafed in gold. It’s not a huge theater, but it seats more than you’d guess—and there doesn’t seem to be a bad seat in the house. On stage in the spotlight is a lonely-looking stool accompanied only by a skinny microphone (god what a perfect spot for a joke about a forlorn fecal funnyman––but it would be too subtle and go unnoticed).