MONROE - Billed as an R-rated evening of comedy and laughter featuring local talent, Comedy Night is back for a fourth time with four shows, starting Friday.

Monroe Times photographer Marissa Weiher sat down for an interview with Comedy Night IV directors Adam Bansley and Chris Soukup about how they got involved in the event and what can be expected at this year's show.



How did you come up with the idea to do a comedy night?

Chris: Rick Maliszewski came up with the idea four years ago and then kind of passed the baton over the years to us.

Adam: Rick asked Chris if he'd be in it. Chris ended up emceeing the first year. And the second year he talked me into it. This is our second year codirecting and my third year performing and Chris' fourth year involved.



How many performers will there be? What kind of acts are they?

Adam: Eleven all together and it's all standup comedy.

Chris: It's a pretty wide variety from different ages, different topics and different life experiences.

Adam: We're really excited this year. This is the biggest cast we've had, the biggest turnout for the auditions and the most diverse cast and subjects. We've got a couple people who have dry humor but are super funny. Then we've got a couple who are very physical and out there and also super funny.

Chris: And then there's me and Adam. (Laughing.)



What has been the community reaction to previous shows?

Chris: Absolute disgust. (Laughing.)

Adam: Last year was the first year it was all standup comedy and produced as a standup comedy. We also introduced music in between acts to pump up the crowd. Last year was also the first year we had two weekends. We were worried because that's twice as many tickets to sell. We ended up selling out almost the whole run; we were only like eight tickets off.

Chris: This year we've added another 20 seats to each night by adding tables.

Adam: We keep adding seats and having them fill up so I'd say the community reaction's been pretty good.

Chris: Everyone I've come across has said it keeps getting significantly better, and I think this is the funniest cast we've had so far. I'm excited.



What kind of humor plays well here and what doesn't?

Chris: Fart jokes and fart jokes. (Laughing.) It's a little more toned down and reserved compared to if you went to the big city. I always try to talk about myself and my family so no one gets offended.

Adam: We've never had to edit or censor people very often. It's one of those things where you don't be vulgar or cuss just because. If it's legitimately funny people will laugh.

Chris: I'd say every style of humor, depending on how it's been delivered, has done well.

Adam: We've tried to build the show into a comedy night like if you went to a comedy club, and I think people know that. There's beverages for sale, we have music, it's a legitimate night out watching comedy, except with local people who have sometimes never done this before.



Are you both performing? How would you characterize your acts?

Adam: I'll close out the first half, and Chris will close out the show. It's just standup. I talk about a lot of things.

Chris: Adam's style is observational and mine's more self-deprecating.

Adam: They both play well. (Laughing.)



How has the show affected your friendship?

Adam: Ew.

(Chris touches Adam's knee awkwardly.)

Chris: We're very close. (Laughing.) We've become close over the last three years doing this together. It gives us something to talk about all year.

Adam: We were already on our way to being good friends before the comedy show, but for Chris and I, we grew up being the funny kid in the group, always cracking jokes. I think when you're that kid you gravitate toward other funny kids.

Chris: And I had never found another one, so I was excited when I finally found someone else who was funny.

Adam: Chris was one of the funniest guys I knew so we already had a pretty good friendship going so it was pretty cool to get to be the funny kids together and to try it on stage and see if we if we could do it.



Who is your comedy inspiration?

Adam: Jerry Seinfeld and Louis C.K. I think we grew up listening to everybody. I started listening to comedy albums and tapes.

Chris: I started listening to cassette tapes. I'm not that old. (Laughing.)

Adam: I listened to George Carlin and Jeff Foxworthy, so I always listened to comedy. Seinfeld is definitely my favorite comic and I'd say my style is most like his. When he talks I'm like, "Yeah I've thought that kind of stuff."



Do you have a preshow ritual?

Chris: I pace for about 13 hours.

Adam: Chris likes to complain for about five months before the show and freakout about not being ready. Mine usually involves a beer. I also use one as a prop.

Chris: Yeah, I'd say a drink just to calm yourself down. I think everyone that comes out has about two drinks. I like directing, I hate being on stage.

Adam: That's my favorite thing. I was always one of those kids who was never bothered by public speaking class. I love coming up with an idea, thinking it's funny, working it out into a good joke and hearing the audience just crack up. That's to me the greatest.

Chris: I'm more of a wait til somebody says something

I can poke fun at and then blurt it out. I like to be the center of attention but just for that one joke, not standing up on stage by myself. I'd be a great heckler. I would be fantastic because I can poke holes in people's stuff pretty easily.



Do you get stage fright?

Chris: I would call it more like a severe panic attack. The stage manager is a paramedic, so just in case. It's kind of like flying for me, the first 15 seconds I'm a nervous wreck and after that I'm all right. He doesn't care. He would go on stage right now with no material and be fine. But like I'm sick all day today because we're three days away from the show.



What's one of the best jokes you've heard recently?

Adam: My favorite one is the one Chris told me. What did Jesus tell the Cubs?... Don't do anything until I get back.

Chris: Knock, knock. ... Who's there?... An old lady. ... An old lady who? ... I didn't know you knew how to yodel.