Comedian Anderson performs at Bardavon
The co-star of the television series “Baskets” appears Sunday night.
Comedian Louie Anderson, currently co-starring in the FX series “Baskets,” performs at the Bardavon, 35 Market St., Poughkeepsie, on Sunday, March 18, at 7 p.m.
A two-time Emmy award winner, Anderson is one of the country’s most-recognized and adored comics. He was named by Comedy Central as “One of 100 Greatest Stand-Up Comedians of All Time.” His career has spanned more than 30 years. He is a bestselling author, the star of his own standup specials and sitcoms and he continues to tour the country.
In 2016, Anderson was cast to co-star along with Zach Galifianakis and Martha Kelly in series, “Baskets.” Anderson portrays Christine Baskets, the matriarch of the Baskets clan. The character is based on both his mother and his five sisters, who were a major presence in his life.
“I’m not as nice in the character as my mom was as a person<” Anderson said in a press release. “It really is an extension of my mom.” He added that he always aims to make his performance “as real as possible” without “affecting or cartooning it up.
“It felt like it was divine intervention when I got the call to be on the show,” he said, “that somehow my mom, from the great beyond, was finally getting herself into show business where she truly belonged in the first place.”
Sharing the ups and downs of his childhood experiences as one of 11 children in Minnesota, Anderson crafted comedy routines that rang true for his early club audiences while reducing them to helpless fits of laughter, routines that led him from his career as a counselor to troubled children to the first-place trophy at the 1981 Midwest Comedy Competition. Henny Youngman, who hosted the competition, recognized the diamond-in-the-rough genius of the young comic and hired him as a writer, providing invaluable experience that soon put Anderson in his own spotlight on comedy stages nationwide
Johnny Carson invited Anderson to make his national television debut on the “The Tonight Show” in 1984. Jay Leno, David Letterman, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, “Comic Relief” and Showtime, HBO and CMT specials followed, along with hosting the legendary game show, “Family Feud.” He has guest-starred in sitcoms like “Grace Under Fire” and dramas like “Touched by an Angel” and “Chicago Hope.” In addition, he has had memorable featured roles in film comedies like “Coming to America” and the classic “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”
In 2013, he took a dive on the ABC reality series, “Splash,” where he conquered his own fears while becoming an inspiration of hope. His standup Special, “Big Baby Boomer” premiered on CMT, in 2013.
In 1995, Anderson put his creative energies to work on the Saturday morning animated series “Life with Louie.” The long-running series, based on Louie’s own childhood and his life with his father, won three Humanitas Prizes for writing on a children’s’ animated series, making him the only three-time recipient of this award. It also earned a Genesis Award for its depiction of the proper treatment of animals, and, two Emmy Awards.
His bestselling books include “Dear Dad – Letters From An Adult Child,” a collection of alternately touching and outrageous letters from Louie to his late father, and “Good-bye Jumbo ... Hello Cruel World,” a selfhelp book for those who struggle with self-esteem issues; and his latest installment on family, “The F Word, How To Survive Your Family.”
Tickets are $69 for VIP, which includes a meet and greet and his new book; $49 for Golden Circle and $34 for regular seating. Bardavon members get $5 off.
Louie Anderson
Tickets can be purchased at the Bardavon box office or by calling (845) 473-2072. They are also available at the Ulster Performing Arts Center box office, 601 Broadway, Kingston, or by calling (845) 339-6088. In addition, they can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 7453000 or visiting ticketmaster.com.
Note that Bardavon member benefits and special discounts are not available through Ticketmaster. Ticketmaster fees will apply.