Atlanta Fall arts preview: Comedy

Even -- wait for it -- Debbie Reynolds.

"For her to kick off our season embodies everything that we do," said George Thompson, director of the Ferst Center for the Arts at Georgia Tech, where Reynolds, 78, will present "an intimate evening of music and comedy" on Sept. 11.

Observed Thompson of the "Singin' in the Rain" star, who may be even better known now for her hilarious "Will and Grace" and "Family Guy"; guest-star turns,"She's had a career that's spanned generations. She's fun. It's kind of like the resurgence of Betty White."

Now that's funny. And very timely.

After three months of sweltering heat and two years of a recession that just won't quit, this fall's supersized injection of comic relief into metro Atlanta's bloodstream couldn't come at a more opportune moment. Consumers continue to pinch pennies when it comes to buying tickets for arts and entertainment events -- a fact recently discovered by Christina Aguilera, Rihanna and -- gasp!-- even the "American Idol"-ers, who all cancelled all or parts of tours this summer. Yet perhaps never more have we needed a good guffaw.

Enter-- slipping on a banana peel -- live comedy.

"An easy evening out"

"I think people want to laugh," said Michael Taormina, managing director of the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, where the lineup this fall features six comedy offerings, ranging from the wry observations of best-selling author/NPR humorist David Sedaris to the unapologetically blunt observational standup of current FX sitcom "Louie") star Louis C.K. That's an increase over previous years' bookings, said Taormina, who persuasively argues that humor is "sort of recession resilient."

"Comedy's an easy evening out," he explained."It's informal. You know you're going to have a good time and leave laughing or at least with a smile on your face. What else can you say that about these days?"

And at what price? The cheapest ticket available for October's Eagles concert in Piedmont Park will set someone back $69.50, including handling fees. To get anywhere close enough to Glenn Frey to exchange knowing grins during "Take It Easy" requires $277 for a VIP section ticket.

Meanwhile, a ticket to the Louis C.K. show at Cobb Energy costs $32.50. And even with 2,750 seats, the farthest anyone's from the stage is 160 feet.

"Acts and their agents are telling us [that] the intimacy of the room is ideally suited for comedy," Taormina said. "They feel a very good connection with audiences and the audience connects with them. They feel like they get the jokes and see the facial expressions."

But can they still get heckled?

"Please!" Taormina chuckled. "People pick those seats down front on purpose."

Hunger for laughs

Two bookings in particular for Cobb Energy's upcoming fourth season -- Keillor's first ever appearance there in November and a splashy New Year's Eve program featuring the Top 5 finishers in the just completed season of NBC's "Last Comic Standing"-- underscore comedy's prominence this fall. Elsewhere, too, evidence abounds that popular metro Atlanta venues are giving the people what they want: Cheap (relatively) laughs:

● Longtime Johns Creek resident Jeff Foxworthy's mega-successful "Blue Collar Comedy Tour," idled since 2006, will make Philips Arena one of the stops on its revived, abbreviated 2010-11 schedule. Joining Foxworthy at the Jan. 29 show (for which several ticket brokers already are sold out) are two of the three other original members, Bill Engvall and Larry the Cable Guy.

The Fox Theatre originally booked the fourth former "Blue Collar"-er, Ron White, for one show in October. Tickets were snapped up so quickly for the 4,678-seat theater that another show was added on a second night.

"The fact that it's Aug. 3 and we're putting in a second show in October demonstrates that Ron White's appeal is still very strong and also tells me something about what people want right now," Fox general manager Allen Vella said.

● Aurora Theatre in Lawrenceville will play host to both veteran standups and newer professional comics looking to break out on "Funny Fridays." The once-a-month comedy showcase at the Lawrenceville Square venue, whose 15th anniversary season is otherwise devoted to mounting ambitious plays ("Sirens") and musicals ("Academy"), fills what Aurora considered a pressing need.

"There was no comedy in Gwinnett," said Al Stilo, marketing director at Aurora, which held the first Funny Friday two years ago and now comes close to selling out two shows a night. "We felt like that was a huge void. We knew we were doing the right thing when all of a sudden they're opening a comedy club in Buford."

(Note: That would be the Buford Variety Theater, where Ron White made a surprise comedy drop-in earlier this year and HBO Comedy Festival performer Mike Speenberg has just been announced as the New Year's Eve headliner.)

Season starts early

Can't wait that long for laughs? You're in luck. Like the Christmas shopping season, comedy arrives early this "fall" and builds steadily.

Paul Mooney, who wrote much of Richard Pryor's best-known material and created several memorable "In Living Color" characters, is at Cobb Energy on Aug. 31; the live show will be taped for a later pay-per-view broadcast. On Sept. 18, "Parks and Recreation" co-star and recent MTV Movie Awards host Ansari will perform at the Tabernacle. October brings the "Mixed Nuts" all-female comedy trio to Aurora and Paula Poundstone to the Ferst Center.

Margaret Cho of Atlanta-produced "Drop Dead Diva" will be at the Ferst in February, upping the 2010-11 season's comedy quotient over previous norms. It's practically a no-brainer, Thompson, the center's director, explained.

"I think it's a service to the community that we're bringing in another form of live art to people, some of whom might not normally think of themselves as arts patrons," Thompson said. "There are a lot of comedians out there that are world-class and have something to say, and they say it by making us laugh at ourselves.

"If you can't find the humor in yourself, then we're really not going to last long on this earth."

--------------------

A funny, funny fall

The live comedy lineup this fall (and beyond) is downright laughable. Here's a selective list of what's coming up:

Aziz Ansari: Dangerously Delicious Tour. 7:30 p.m. Sept. 18. $29.50. The Tabernacle. 152 Luckie St., Atlanta. 404-659-9022, www.livenation.com

Ron White: 8 p.m. Oct. 8; 7 p.m. Oct. 9. $45.75. Fox Theatre. 660 Peachtree S. N.E., Atlanta. 404-881-2100, www.ticketmaster.com

Mixed Nuts: 7:15 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. Oct. 22. $15. Aurora Theatre. 128 Pike Street, Lawrenceville. 678-226-6222, www.auroratheatre.com

Daniel Tosh: Tosh Tour Twenty Ten. 7:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Oct. 22. $35 and $39.50. The Tabernacle.

Paula Poundstone: 8 p.m. Oct. 22. $32 and $42. Ferst Center for the Arts. 349 Ferst Drive N.W., Atlanta. 404-894-9600, www.ferstcenter.gatech.edu

James Gregory: Funniest Man in America. 7 p.m. Oct. 23. $23.50-$33.50. Earl Smith Strand Theatre. 117 North Park Square, Marietta. 770-293-0080, www.earlsmithstrand.org

Garrison Keillor: 8 p.m. Nov. 17. $35.50 and $62. Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway, Atlanta. 770-916-2800, www.cobbenergycentre.com

Short Bus Heroes: 7:15 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. Nov. 19. $15. Aurora Theatre.

Russell Peter: The Green Card Tour. 8 p.m. Dec. 10. $45 and $60. Cobb Energy Centre.

Margaret Cho: 8 p.m. Feb. 19. Ferst Center.