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On a brutally cold and snowy Saturday afternoon at the corner of East Passyunk Avenue and Dickinson Street, a group of about a dozen comics convened on the sidewalk to tell jokes. The Free For All Comedy team, assembled by Aaron Hertzog and Alison Zeidman last summer, was there to promote a renewed comedic presence in South Philly with an upcoming showcase at Boot & Saddle, 1131 S. Broad St.
As more snow fell on the weeks of accumulated snow and ice, one-by-one comics received three minutes with a children’s microphone to make strangers laugh. As neighbors bundled up and trudged to work, to ACME, 1400 E. Passyunk Ave., or to the neighboring B2, 1500 E. Passyunk Ave., and Pub on Passyunk East (P.O.P.E.), 1501 E. Passyunk Ave., Zeidman did her best to engage with passers-by and hand out flyers for their show on Feb. 26.
This winter marks the arrival of Free For All’s residence in South Philly after a stint at Rembrandt’s in Fairmount. Not only have the constituents made a connection to Boot & Saddle on Broad, but they’re about to embark on a regular presence at Bella Vista’s Growler’s Bar, 736 S. Eighth St.
“We started looking for a new venue and reached out to Boot & Saddle, where we’ll be doing a really big showcase with some of the best comics in Philly,” Zeidman, a resident of the 700 block of South Seventh Street, said. “We’re also starting a new free weekly showcase and open mic at Growler’s every Wednesday at 8 p.m.”
The 26-year-old South Jersey native and Policy & Community Engagement Manager for the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance loves Philly, but hasn’t been so keen on the lack of comedy. But the PR stunt that she, Hertzog, and a rag-tag group of comedians pulled off last weekend was a step in the right direction.
The weather and cold didn’t really do them any favors, but some neighbors who live above the P.O.P.E. and a few others stopped for a few minutes to see why about 20 people were standing around folks talking into a bright plastic children’s microphone amp.
“I can’t say I can really fault anyone for not sticking around,” Trevor Cunnion, a 25-year-old who calls Broad and Morris streets home, said. “Plus, the people who hated it just made it funnier for the rest of us, so it worked out.”
The Collingswood, N.J. native moved back to Philadelphia after attending the School of Visual Arts in New York City, where he studied film and screenwriting.
“I’ve definitely enjoyed my time here so far. There’s a lot of good bars that are walking distance from my house, and the deli on my corner makes fantastic sandwiches,” Cunnion said.
Sometimes it’s the little things.
The young Boot & Saddle is a venue just below Washington Avenue that’s really picking up steam. The bar and performance space opened its doors after extensive renovations last September, and Zeidman and company are excited to explore its comedic potential.
“As far as I know, we’re their first comedy show,” Zeidman commented. “We’re definitely psyched about it – the line-up is some of our favorite comics and best buds, and we think doing a show at a ‘legit’ venue will be a great way to expose new audiences to the local Philly comic scene.”
Of course, not all comics become success stories. As all of the comics proved, one must push through the bombs and revel in the laughs when they come. And the more comedy one performs, the better he or she gets with timing and joke telling.
Mike Logan, a 25-year-old resident of the 1200 block of 12th Street, has been a comedian for about four years (“off and on,” he says).
“You’re on a street corner at three in the afternoon, and it’s snowing,” he explained. “There have been better places to perform stand up. Unfortunately, bombing is part of the art. You have to learn how to bomb gracefully. Sometimes the new jokes you wrote really suck. Sometimes the great jokes you have just aren’t well received by the crowd you’re performing for.”
The comic content was understandably crass. There’s a tradition of shock humor that runs through comedy, but as the comics we spoke to mentioned, it doesn’t have to be like that.
“Lots of comics will give you that old line ‘Comedy = Tragedy + Time,’” Logan said. “I guess it’s true, but not in the way some guys do it. I’m not a fan of shock humor. I like genuine laughs more than I like oh-no-he-didn’t’s. I like goofy people that make fun of everything.”
“Jokes that are shocking for the sake of being shocking don’t interest me much,” Cunnion, who also provides customer support for a CD manufacturer, said. “I feel like most times when the jokes make people go ‘Ugh, too soon,’ it’s not going to be funny 10 years from now, either.”
Adobe Café, 1919 E. Passyunk Ave., and Ray’s Happy Birthday Bar, 1200 E. Passyunk Ave., were listed as considerable epicenters of South Philly comedy by Logan and Cunnion. And now, it seems, Growler’s and Boot & Saddle could be added to that stable.
And there is potential for future “geurilla” stand up moments on East Passyunk Avenue, as long as weather cooperates. Zeidman points out that their Twitter handle (@freeforallcmdy) is the best place to look for surprise stand up and for local comics to sign up and get in on the jokes.
For some of these comics, drawing a laugh has seemed like a lifelong goal.
“I’ve realized lately that it’s all I’ve ever wanted to do; to be funny,” Logan admitted. “I remember writing a set list when I was like 9. The jokes were about the news and macaroni and cheese. They were probably terrible. But comedy is this beautiful uniting thing that I think gets overlooked as a real art form.”
Contact Staff Writer Bill Chenevert at bchenevert@southphillyreview.com or ext. 117.
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