Seattle International Comedy Competition

The 32nd Annual Seattle International Comedy Competition Finals kicked off in grand style at the Crystal Ballroom of the 82 year-old Washington Athletic Club.  The opportunity to start the finals with a sold-out private show is just one of the many wonderful experiences offered to those who make it this far in the competition.

Of course, as any “corporate” show, this event does present some unique challenges to our five intrepid finalists.  The room has a high ceiling and the chairs (set amongst large round dining tables) are set further apart than they would be in a comedy club or a theater–so, you don’t get that resounding mass “wall of laughter” that comics tend to judge their success or struggles by.  The set, purpose-built for us to look like a brick wall with street lamps…and very cool to look at (and take pictures of), is very thin…a little rickety and difficult for some to get up onto or off–making you think about your physicality.  And, just the nature of the audience–they must be somewhat wealthy and settled to be members of this exclusive health/social club–makes you consider what material might work best for them…AND for the judges whose scores you’re fighting for in this competition.

Add to that the fact that this is the first time that the comedians are doing sets of this length–15 to 20 minute long sets are quite different than the 8-12 minute long sets of the Semi-Finals (or the amazingly brief, in retrospect, sets of the Preliminary Weeks…which were only 3-7 minutes long.)

Our host on this night, Duane Goad, looking sharp as ever in his suit, braved the waters to get the crowd up and ready for the show–but almost every comedian on this night commented upon how some jokes were well-received but it was obvious from the audience’s lack of reaction when some jokes didn’t go so well.

And yet…after the show, the audience seemed to have loved everyone and the show–many mentioning to me that it was the best competition show at the WAC yet.  So, sometimes, things are going better than they seem.

It certain turned out to be so for Mike Baldwin.  Mike went up first, daring the “Go Up First Curse” to do its worst, and during his set, he obviously felt like he didn’t quite reach this audience on this night.  And yet, he got significant laughter throughout his consistently strong set…

Patrick Keane probably suffered the most from the rather thin stage–but he also found that his style of underplaying his jokes and making jokes about the mechanics of the jokes that he makes was not connecting with this crowd.  His signature moments–his story of his sports related knee injury and his closing chunk about how dangerous Eden was–landed very strong…but it was clear that he felt disappointed by how the rest of his set went.

Mrs Hughes probably had the most difficult time getting up onto and off the stage, due to the oversized last step-up to the stage–but she probably connected the most clearly with the largest number of audience members on this night.  Still, the audience seemed like they weren’t completely allowing themselves to just let go and enjoy themselves.

Rick Kunkler went up fourth and made it clear that he was going to dance with the girl he brought–that he wasn’t going to change his approach to comedy based merely on who the audience was or what their expectations might be.  So, he pushed some envelopes and was rewarded with some shock laughs–and his energy and variety performance elements were well-received.

Speaking of energy, whoa-boy did Rodney Sherwood bring a lot of it to his competition concluding set.  His opening “Fun With Washington Town Names” bit popped the crowd louder than anything else that had come before.  And MAN does this man work…he earns every laugh he gets by never dialing back–he’s always cranked up to “11″ regardless of his circumstances.

One interesting thing that the WAC does…is they offer their own separate award–the WAC Choice Award” that is given to the performer voted as the best by ALL of the club members in the audience that night.  In previous years, the WAC Choice and the choice of the official competition judges have always been different–as one is a choice of “who the audience liked” versus “what performer was determined to have scored the best in seven specific performance categories”.

This is the first year that the WAC Choice and the Nightly Winner (as chosen by the judges) were the same person.  And, to the surprise of Mike Baldwin perhaps most of all, that winner was:  Mike Baldwin.

“How can anyone on this night not have thought that Rodney Sherwood had done the best?” Mike was heard saying after learning of his win.

Well, it turned out that not only was Mike the most “liked” comedian by the audience…but the judges saw the consistent talent in his set that the judges in the Semi-Finals had seen.

And the Go Up First Curse couldn’t stop Mike from claiming another nightly win.

Here, then, is the order of finish for the first night of the Finals of the 32nd Annual Seattle International Comedy Competition, held at the Washington Athletic Club, in downtown Seattle.

1. Mike Baldwin (Kansas City)
2. Mrs Hughes (Pismo Beach)
3. Rodney Sherwood (Seattle)
4. Rick Kunkler (Seattle/Los Angeles)
5. Patrick Keane (Los Angeles)

I normally don’t talk about scores here–but I’ll say this:  every performer ended up with a very good score on this night.  The top three basically finished in a dead heat–with only hundredths of a point separating them…and barely three-quarters of a point separates first from fifth.

Thanks to Mary Ellen and everyone at the WAC for a wonderful night!  (And no snow/ice/wind storm like last year!  Just torrential rains!  Whew!)

Night Two takes us across choppy seas to the friendly faces waiting for us over on Vashon Island as we bring the competition back for our traditional Thanksgiving Eve show at the Vashon Theatre.  Wish us all luck!

In perhaps the most dramatic finish of a round in the history of the Seattle International Comedy Competition, Pacific Northwest comic Rodney Sherwood ended a six-year hiatus from the stage in grand style by placing first at the last show in the semi-finals of the 32nd Annual Seattle International Comedy Competition to nab a spot in the finals occurring this week.

Sherwood will now vie against Mike Baldwin from Kansas City, Mrs. Hughes from Pismo Beach, CA, Patrick Keane from L.A. and Rick Kunkler from Seattle for a $5,000 first prize, a recording contract and glory amongst their peers. The finals get underway Tuesday night at a private show in the Washington Athletic Club.

Then it will be on to Wednesday night at the Vashon Theatre, Friday at Mt. Baker Theatre in Bellingham and Saturday at the Admiral Theatre in Bremerton before the winner is announced at the Comedy Underground in Seattle on Sunday. Tickets are still available to all these remaining shows and can be purchased at: http://www.seattlecomedycompetition.com

Early in the semi-finals, which began in Seattle before appearing to Edmonds, Olympia, Skagit, Kelso and Tacoma, it became apparent there was only one spot in the finals still up for grabs. For the remainder of the week, Sherwood and Sam Demaris from Houston eyed each other from the stage wings before going out and giving their all to see which one of them would move on.

In front of a sold-out crowd at Theatre on the Square in Tacoma on Sunday, Demaris went up second and rocked the house with a routine that included the chronicling of the adventures of a black man in Idaho and Montana. “I’ve got it,” he whispered as the evening progressed.

But later in the show, Sherwood had a strong set as well. Dressed in a suit and wearing thick glasses, with his wife watching from the audience, he offered up an amazingly energetic performance with the catch phrase, “Come on!” His set included the chronicling of the adventures of a Puget Sound man journeying into eastern Washington.

Still, when it was announced that Demaris had placed fourth for the night and that newcomer Xung Lam from Seattle had surprisingly come in third, emcee Jim Short glanced over and saw a visibly crestfallen Sherwood.

It was certainly understandable. The names Baldwin and Hughes had yet to be announced and they had been coming in one-two pretty much all week long. Then, “placing second tonight, Mike Baldwin.” It was the only time all week Baldwin had not taken first. Could it be?

Short relished the moment before bringing Sherwood onstage. It was a Hollywood ending but it’s not over yet. Backstage, with tears in his eyes, Demaris accepted a well-paying gig at a California casino from producer Jon Fox as a consolation prize.

Performing in the Finals:

Mike Baldwin	Mrs Hughes	Patrick Keane
Rick Kunkler	Rodney Sherwood

For more information on comedians, venues and nightly updates, visit: http://www.seattlecomedycompetition.com

The following performers are moving on from the Semi-Finals Week to the Finals Week, which begins on November 22nd with a private show at the Washington Athletic Club, Seattle.

L-R: Rodney Sherwood (5th), Patrick Keane (4th), Mrs Hughes (3rd), Jim Short (Semi-Finals Host), Rick Kunkler (2nd), Mike Baldwin (1st)

There was one major storyline playing out during last night’s sold-out show at the beautiful Theatre on the Square in Tacoma.  Could Houston’s Sam Demaris find a way to get himself into the Weekly Top 5–and on to the Finals of the 32nd Annual Seattle International Comedy Competition?

Yes, certainly, some people wanted to find out if Mike Baldwin could run the table in this Semi-Finals week.  Could Mike actually take first place every night this week, despite an extraordinarily talented line-up in this year’s Semi-Finals?  And some people might be wondering if Xung Lam could get some recognition for his excellent work this week and get himself into a Nightly Top 5 (something that many felt he should have the night before in Kelso) or would he end his competition heartbroken?  And fans of comedy, in general, were definitely interested in seeing what this group of comedians had to offer…

…but the focus was on Sam Demaris.  He’d won his Preliminary Week with a confident story-telling style, consistent scores and a dramatic Night Six victory–his first Nightly win in his week.  He’d been just as strong in the Semi-Finals Week–just that his first few scores weren’t as strong as he’d hoped.  He made some changes and the scores started to come around.  If he could pull off another dramatic Night Six win, he could find himself sticking around for one more week’s worth of shows.

Sam went up second on the night–and delivered his best set of the entire competition.  When the moment presented itself, Sam responded…and the Tacoma audience gave him a thunderous encore point cheer.  Sam had done all that he could do.  Because he started the night in 6th place for the week, he’d need some help to insert himself into the Weekly Top 5.  He’d need one of three performers to slip up.

Los Angeles’ Patrick Keane didn’t slip up.  He had another strong, confident performance.  So, for Sam to get in, he’d need either Mrs Hughes or Rodney Sherwood to stumble.  Rodney was in 5th place going into tonight–so, he was the closest one within Sam’s reach.

Rodney, a Seattle comedy veteran who had made the Finals of the Seattle International Comedy Competition twenty years ago, had actually retired for five years…before coming back to comedy just over a year ago.  His energetic and locally-sourced material has often made him a crowd favorite in this year’s competition–would it do so again in Tacoma?  His set seemed to go pretty well.

Mrs Hughes, meanwhile, was playing with house money.  She’d narrowly missed making the Semi-Finals from her Preliminary Week (by only 5 hundredths of a point), but was called upon as a late replacement after Night One of this Semi-Finals Week.  She accepted the invitation to rejoin the competition–but it came with a cost:  no drop score.  Unlike the other competitors, she wouldn’t be able to drop her lowest score–ANY score she got on this final night, she’d have to take.

She went into the night in 3rd place–but, a particularly bad score could not only drop her out of the Weekly Top 5 (and make room for Sam) but could land her all the way at the bottom of the standings for the week.  Mrs Hughes had a decent set on this night–but didn’t get close to the standing ovation she’d earned for herself earlier this week at The Skagit Valley Casino.

Meanwhile, Mike Baldwin–safe in the knowledge that he’d locked in his spot in the Finals with FIVE NIGHTLY WINS–had another marvelous set…and even managed to sell a few t-shirts while he was at it.  It seemed, based on the reaction of the crowd, that the night was Mike’s to win again…but what about Sam?  What about Rodney?  What about Mrs Hughes?

The names of the Top 5 for the night were called out.  Patrick Keane, no surprise, another consistently strong performance was 5th…he would most assuredly hold onto his place in the finals.

Sam Demaris took 4th for the night.  A strong finish–not quite the dramatic win that would truly improve his chances of making the finals.  He now had to hope not to hear Mrs Hughes or Rodney Sherwood’s name ahead of him.

Xung Lam took 3rd on this night–and deservedly so.

Mike Baldwin, to the shock of many, was announced as having taken 2nd–his first night of not winning in these Semi-Finals.  Those who had not been called yet looked around at each other to see who the judges might have favored on this night.  Would it be Rick Kunkler?  Would it be Will Weldon?  Would it be Mrs Hughes?

Come on!  The nightly winner was Rodney Sherwood.

So, the Top 5 for Night Six of the Semi-Finals Week of the 32nd Annual Seattle International Comedy Competition from Theatre on the Square in Tacoma was as follows:

1. Rodney Sherwood (Seattle)
2. Mike Baldwin (Kansas City)
3. Xung Lam (Seattle)
4. Sam Demaris (Houston)
5. Patrick Keane (Los Angeles)

…so, Sam Demaris was down to one last hope–that Mrs Hughes’ score for the night was so dramatically low that it would allow him to move up and take her spot in the Finals.

Well, Mrs Hughes did take 8th place for the night–but our judges on this final night had looked favorably upon all 10 performers tonight.  They gave high scores to everyone–just slightly higher scores to some–and that meant that regardless of where Mrs Hughes finished, placement-wise, on the night…she was given a score that on other night’s this week might have had her in the Top 3.

It wasn’t enough for Sam to move up.  Despite his best efforts and his gift for connecting with audiences and making them laugh, Sam would end the week (and this competition) in sixth place.

Those comedians moving on to the Finals by making the Weekly Top 5 are:

1. Mike Baldwin (Kansas City)
2. Rick Kunkler (Seattle/Los Angeles)
3. Mrs Hughes (Pismo Beach)
4. Patrick Keane (Los Angeles)
5. Rodney Sherwood (Seattle)

For these five comedians, the 32nd Annual Seattle International Comedy Competition continues for one more week–five more shows, starting with a private show at the Washington Athletic Club on Tuesday night.  They’ll have to do longer sets, they’ll be judged by more judges and they’ll try to earn scores that will allow one of them to declare himself or herself to be the NEW Seattle International Comedy Competition Champion!

But, for Sam Demaris…Xung Lam…Eric Krug…Will Weldon…and David Tveite.  Their competition dreams, after night after night of excellent shows, died in a beautiful theater, in front of an enthusiastic crowd in Tacoma…

They will be missed by us–but, hopefully, not by you–please, seek them out and catch their comedy as often as you can.  (Do the same for our host for this Semi-Finals Week:  Jim Short.  Jim is extremely funny and did an excellent job as our host–we couldn’t have made it through the week without him.)

Night Five of the Semi-Finals of the 32nd Annual Seattle International Comedy Competition brought our intrepid comedians to Kelso, Washington and the lovely Kelso Theater Pub.  I understand that the competition used to make the Kelso Theater Pub a regular stop–before we moved over to the (admittedly also lovely) Columbia Theater in nearby Longview until a couple of years ago, when the Columbia Theater was not available to the competition due to remodeling.  We haven’t been back to the area since the 2009 competition–and it was obvious that we were missed.

Mike and the staff at the Kelso Theater Pub made us feel most welcome in a very interesting venue–it is a movie theater with tables…set up for pizza, beer and good times.  The audience was a little further away than most comedy shows–and the single spotlight shining from the projection room gave a dizzying perspective for the comedian on stage…but the crowd was appreciative and happy to have some laughs on a Saturday night.

This was a very important night for these ten comedians–as this was the second to last night of the Semi-Finals…the last chance to set yourself up for a run at the Weekly Top 5 and entry into the Finals (which begin next Tuesday.)  After tonight, because of the way the scores are tabulated in this competition, there would only be so much ground that any comedian could gain on those who might be ahead of them.

Not that anyone is capable of catching Kansas City’s Mike Baldwin–as all he’s been, so far this Semi-Finals Week, has been perfect.  Going into tonight, he’d taken first place on all four shows of this week…and tonight, he even turned an interaction with a drunk guy yelling incoherently at him into solid laughs that increased his likability on stage.

You didn’t need any “Coming Attractions” previews to guess that Mike Baldwin ONCE AGAIN took first place on this night (it’s kind of given away in the title of this post)–excellent work, Mike!

He wasn’t the only one who truly scored big with the audience and the five judges on this night–as Sam Demaris, who went up last on a long show–always a dangerous spot in the line-up–delivered a top to bottom solid performance that earned him his best placement and scores for the week.  He’s very much in contention to move on to the finals, if he can deliver a similar performance and earn similar scores on Sunday’s last night of the Semi-Finals.

Also having a well-received set was Seattle’s Xung Lam–who many in the audience told me after the show was their favorite of the night.  Heartbreakingly, Xung did not make tonight’s Top 5–narrowly missing it with a strong 6th Place showing.

Let’s take a look at the Top 5 from Semi-Finals Week-Night Five of the 32nd Annual Seattle International Comedy Competition, held at the Kelso Theater Pub.

1. Mike Baldwin (Kansas City)
2. Sam Demaris (Houston)
3. Patrick Keane (Los Angeles)
4. Rodney Sherwood (Seattle)
5. Mrs Hughes (Pismo Beach)

Sunday night is the last night of the Semi-Finals.  The Top 5 for the Week will be announced at the end of that show, and it will be announced who the five Finalists will be.  It should be an exciting night with many good comics–some of whom, sadly, we will have to say “goodbye” to…as only half of them will move on to the Finals.

The Sunday night show takes place at Theatre on the Square in Tacoma.  Showtime is 7:30pm.

Will the Mike Baldwin Express keep rolling?  Will Rick Kunkler maintain his fingerless gloved hold on a place in the Finals?  Can Mrs Hughes, working without the safety net of a drop score, continue her excellent run in the Semi-Finals?  Is Patrick Keane going to be just as consistent as he has been all week?  How about Rodney Sherwood?  Will Sam Demaris be able to push his way into the finals or will he come up just short?  Can Eric Krug make a miracle happen and stay one more week in the Pacific Northwest?  Is Xung Lam destined for nothing but heartbreak?  What about Will Weldon or David Tveite?

We’ll know after tonight–but, can I just say right here and right now that this has been an excellent group of comedians, doing excellent work…and, when you add in the marvelous host, Jim Short, this is a show that you’ll regret not having seen if you’ve missed it this week.

It’s all up to Tacoma, now.

The Semi-Finals of the 32nd Annual Seattle International Comedy Competition might have to change its name to “Mike Baldwin and Friends Comedy Show”–because the funny man from Kansas City has dominated every show this week.  The fourth night of the Semi-Finals at the Pacific Showroom of the Skagit Valley Casino Resort was no exception…and Mike Baldwin took top honors again.  He’s won all four nights of the Semi-Finals and, when combined with his efforts in the Preliminary Week, he’s won six consecutive nights of the competition.

Mike even managed to score higher than Mrs Hughes who earned herself a standing ovation from the packed-to-capacity audience.  The show was sold out for over a month before the show began and they showed their appreciation to the Pismo Beach comedian at the end of her set and again as she collected her encore point.  And yet, she didn’t outscore Mike Baldwin…nor did she outscore Rodney Sherwood, who also seemed quite at home on the big stage.  Rodney took second while Mrs Hughes, still with a high score, ended up in third for the night.

Rick Kunkler continued to impress with another Top 5 finish…and he was joined by Sam Demaris, who made his second podium finish this week.

Here, then, is the Top 5 from Night Four of the Semi-Finals of the 32nd Annual Seattle International Comedy Competition:

1. Mike Baldwin (Kansas City)
2. Rodney Sherwood (Seattle)
3. Mrs Hughes (Pismo Beach)
4. Rick Kunkler (Seattle/Los Angeles)
5. Sam Demaris (Houston)

Looking at the standings for the week, the numbers are crunching in unusual ways.  Obviously, Mike Baldwin can probably coast his way into the finals at this point…but Mrs Hughes, currently in 2nd place for the week, can’t–as she does not have a “drop score” (due to entering the Semi-Finals as a replacement after the Night One show.)  She can’t afford a low score in Kelso or Tacoma.

Rick Kunkler, Patrick Keane and Rodney Sherwood are currently in the Top 5 for the week–but don’t count out Eric Krug, Sam Demaris, Will Weldon, Xung Lam or David Tveite just yet…as things are still close and anything can happen.

…and WILL happen, including tonight–Saturday night–at the Kelso Theater Pub in Kelso for an 8:30pm show.