CD&ME’s Laugh the Night Away! series is back
By Ginger Brashinger jebvv@comcast.net January 11, 2012 3:25PM
Tim Walkoe won the grand prize on ABC-TV (Channel 7)'s "America's Funniest People."
LAUGH THE NIGHT AWAY! SERIES
CD&ME, 23320 S. LaGrange Road, Frankfort, will present its fifth-year anniversary of the weekly Laugh the Night Away! Series from January-April.
The cover is $13 for each show. Doors will open at 7 p.m., with comedy starting at 8 p.m. and music performances starting at 9:30 p.m.
Information: (815) 469-7315, cdandme.com.
Here’s a look at what’s been scheduled so far for Laugh the Night Away!, which takes place mostly on Fridays.
Jan. 13
Comedians Tim Walkoe and Jim Flannigan and the band Five Guys Named More.
The grand-prize winner on ABC-TV (Channel 7)’s “America’s Funniest People,” Walkoe has been seen on Fox, A&E, HBO, Showtime, TNN, PBS and Fox Sports Net.
Jan. 21
Comedians Mike Toomey and Mike Ostrowski with the band Hare.
A gifted performer, Toomey’s
hilarious characters have made him a regular on Channel 9’s “WGN Morning News.” His
national TV appearances have included HBO, MTV and A&E’s “Comedy on the Road.”
Jan. 27
Comedians Andy Woodhull and Josh Alton with the band the Weeds.
Woodhull made his TV debut on Comedy Central’s “Live at Gotham” and also was invited to perform at the Montreal and Las Vegas comedy festivals. He was a semifinalist on CMT’s “Next Big Comic” and in 2004 won the St. Louis leg of the Laugh Across America contest.
Feb. 3
Comedians Steve Iott and Tiffany Ellen with music by Dave Rudolf.
Iott, of Michigan, is no stranger to television or the concert stage, having appeared on A&E and Comedy Central. He also has opened for Steven Wright, the band Chicago and Bill Maher.
Feb. 10
Comedians Vince Maranto and Vince Vieceli with the band Johnny and Coax.
Performing at comedy clubs and colleges for more than 25 years, Maranto has performed at Zanies, the Funny Bone and Catch a Rising Star and has opened for such acts as Norm Macdonald, Robert Klein, Jeff Foxworthy,
Martin Lawrence and Craig Ferguson. He also has been seen on many TV shows on WGN, TBS and PBS, and has appeared at the Great American Comedy Festival.
Feb. 17
Comedians Larry Reeb and Mike Preston with music by Rick & Kevin.
Known as Uncle Lar,’ Reeb is like the wisecracking, black sheep, politically incorrect relative everyone knows, and he offers “tips” on topics from
marriage and lotteries to children. He also is a regular guest on the nationally syndicated “The Bob & Tom Show” and has been voted Chicago Comedian of the Year.
Feb. 24
Comedians Jeffrey Jena and Brian Hicks with the band
Generations.
In his 30 years as a stand-up comic, Jena has appeared on more than 40 national shows including “Comics Unleashed,” “The Bob& Tom Show,” “The Dennis Miller Show,” HBO, MTV, “An Evening at the Improv” and Showtime. As an actor he has appeared on “Murder, She Wrote” and “Hunter.” Jena also has performed with Barry Manilow, Jeffrey Osborne and the Temptations.
March 2
Comedian Ryan Budds with the band the Weeds.
A south suburban native, Budds crafts jokes stemming from life in his 20s and has kept audiences laughing at clubs and colleges throughout the United States. He performs frequently at the world-famous Improv in Chicago and Zanies Comedy Clubs and has worked with comedians including Zach Galifianakis, Christopher Titus, Greg Behrendt, Bobcat Goldthwait and the Wayans brothers.
Article Extras
Maps
Updated: February 14, 2012 8:06AM
Anyone who enjoyed the comedy at CD&ME’s Laugh the Night Away! series during the past four years has good reason to keep it on his or her weekend entertainment list.
Comedian Ken Sevara said the fifth season promises to be the best yet.
“This is an affirmative year,” Sevara said of the comedy club, for which he partners with CD&ME owners Dean Vaundry and Chuck JaBaay. “We’ve made it for five years, and we belong.”
Sevara said fine-tuning their choices of comedy and music acts to create just the right energy flow, as well as listening to audience input week after week, has been a top priority for the partners and their staff.
“We don’t book anyone who isn’t a headliner,” Sevara said. “That’s why we’ve got Tim Walkoe for our opening night.
“This guy’s a consummate pro and funnier than heck, and that’s the kind of guy we want leading off our fifth-year anniversary.”
Walkoe, back for a second season, said he is happy to appear in “a great club with great atmosphere and a nice cross-section of people in the audience.”
The nationally acclaimed grand-prize winner of ABC-TV (Channel &)’s “America’s Funniest People” has the means of comparison.
Walkoe has worked most major venues in the United States as a comedian, musician, radio personality and actor, and is planning an international tour.
The Laugh the Night Away! series also will feature veteran performers such as Larry Reeb (HBO, Showtime and Fox’s “Comedy Express”) and Jeffrey Jena (HBO, MTV and “The Dennis Miller Show”) during the four-month season that will begin Jan. 13.
Add in fresh young comics, who are appearing in the series for the first time, such as Andy Woodhull and Tim Harrison, and there is a definite entertainment trend.
It all adds up to a four-hour Friday night package of two comedy headliners and a couple of hours of great music, which Sevara said will have a special emphasis this year.
“We’re starting to get really hip to the music part,” Sevara said.
Five Guys Named Moe, who will entertain on opening night, is one of the most popular groups with CD&ME audiences, he added.
But wait. There’s also the game show atmosphere during a halftime between the comedy and the music.
This break offers audience-participation opportunities that are not for the faint of heart and usually involve cold, hard cash.
“This is the best bargain of any comedy show in the entire state,” Sevara said. “It’s an entire night of entertainment, and the parking is free.”
Ginger Brashinger is a local free-lance writer.
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