The Bare Comedy Present, leaving nothing to the creativeness, is making its Los Angeles debut on the Elysian, the place comics will bare-it-all, actually and generally figuratively on stage Jan 17.
The stand-up present, which has a cult following in New York Metropolis and extra not too long ago in Philadelphia can be spreading it’s attain into Los Angeles the place tickets for viewers 18-years-old and up are on sale beginning at $40 a seat.
Comic Billy Procida, who’s hosted the present sans garments since 2022, says the nudity could also be a gimmick to fill seats however it’s not a gimmick to get laughs. “If all of us put our garments again on, you’d be like it is a nice lineup,” Procida informed the Submit.
“At first, I guide primarily based on humorous. I don’t guide primarily based on how scorching I feel you’re or your physique,” Procida stated. “I’m not on the lookout for fashions, I’m on the lookout for good comics.”
Worrying about getting laughs along with your garments on is already a large feat for even probably the most seasoned comedian, however doing it bare poses an added layer of vulnerability, for male comics specifically, in line with Procida, whose present has seen prime performers from Comedy Central, Netflix and HBO.
“Notably among the many gender male comics there’s a variety of concern in regards to the penis,” Procida shared. “They’re like, is my d—okay gonna be too small?”
“The first concern with the nudity is often from dudes, often about their d—ks,” stated Procida. “To not say that different folks don’t have their number of physique picture points and considerations.”
However all that insecurity is nice fodder for jokes, and may even be self-empowering to rework that non-public fragility into laugh-out-loud materials.
“My drawback is that my balls are too large. This makes this bizarre optical phantasm, it type of makes every part look smaller than it really is,” stated Procida. “However as a substitute of worrying about it, I simply write a joke about it.”
Different novice nude comics have a distinct concept, they assume taking a drug like Viagra will assist bolster their bits on stage, nonetheless that strategy usually falls flat.
“They assume that’ll make me look greater, or make me get onerous, or one thing. Or as a result of it will be humorous to be onerous, however it’s important to get turned on for these medication to work. In any other case, it doesn’t do something,” Procida defined.
Except a comic book has a deep-seated fetish for being bare on stage, getting a boner below the highlight is nearly inconceivable. “You’re much more near struggle or flight than you’re to an erotic headspace.”
Whereas some comics make being within the buff a central a part of their act, generally the goggling at one’s birthday swimsuit wears off throughout the first 60 seconds of a ten-minute set.
One comedian who was on her interval, determined to do a tampon reveal as a part of her act however it fumbled when she couldn’t find the tampon string on stage and was left rummaging round her vagina earlier than turning round and having to complete her set, Procida stated.
Whereas one other act—that may as nicely go down in Bare Comedy Present historical past—featured a comic book who squeezed a tiny set listing into his foreskin after which pulled it out on stage with nice humorous success.
Every present options about 5 – 6 nicely vetted comics prepared to offer the thin of their skinny, however the true cause The Bare Comedy Present packs seats is as a result of “as a nation based by broods, who stated the Christians in Europe had been too kinky for them… there’s a sexual conservatism on the genetic core of our nation,” stated Procida, and that prude mentality is ripe for promoting entrance row seats for a chunk of counter tradition.
“If public nudity was extra normalized, I’d not have the ability to cost 4 or 5 occasions the price of a traditional present ticket,” stated Procida, explaining that American disgrace round intercourse is strictly why The Bare Comedy Present has been such a knock-out hit to start with.
Not like in New York, the primary two rows of viewers seating in Los Angeles is not going to be clothes optionally available. Whereas that providing at his genesis location gives a uncommon alternative for folks to partake in public nudity. Whether or not the bare our bodies invoke arousal although, is solely unknown.
“I don’t know what’s occurring inside everybody’s heads,” stated Procida. “If somebody’s being pervy of their head. I don’t assume that hurts anyone, as long as they preserve it inside their head.”
All that nudity shouldn’t be mistaken for obscenity although, stated Procida, or for that matter a stripe present. “If I inform a 911 joke with my balls out and also you get just a little moist, looks like a you drawback,” he stated. “I don’t assume I invoked a prurient curiosity… it’s not horny. Nobody comes right here and goes, it is a horny factor. We don’t strip on stage,” stated Procida. Including that the comics undress backstage so “there’s not even the, oh, you’re watching me peel off my 2% Outdated Navy spandex denims.”
What does stand to be scorching is the lineup for LA’s inaugural efficiency slated to function Martin Morrow (Netflix), Kylie Vincent (Comedy Central), Allison Rose (PBS), O’mar Finley (Skankfest) and James Tison (Out Journal). Doorways open at 7:30 p.m. within the “Skunk Room.”
