A STAND-UP GUY
Comedian, actor Sinbad is coming to town.
Comedian and actor Sinbad brings laughter to the Perot Theatre stage for a 7:30 p.m. show on Thursday, Oct. 4.
A comedy veteran and one of Comedy Central’s top 100 standup comedians, Sinbad is essentially a storyteller relating his own unique take on life and inspiring others to laugh along with him.
Noted for his clean, family-friendly routine, Sinbad was the star of several HBO comedy specials in the 1990s, including “Brain Damaged,” “Afros & Bellbottoms,” “Son of a Preacher Man,” and “Nuthin But the Funk.”
He starred in his own TV program, “The Sinbad Show,” and “A Different World,” a spin-off from “The Cosby Show.” Film credits include “Jingle All the Way” and “Necessary Roughness.”
More recent credits include appearances on “Celebrity Apprentice,” “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” and his own comedy special.
The Sinbad comedy act is the second show in the Texarkana Regional Arts and Humanities Council’s Perot Theatre season.
Brian Goesl, TRAHC executive director, says Sinbad brings plenty of good things to the stage.
“To me the No. 1 thing that Sinbad really brings to the Perot Theatre is a family kind of comedic act,” Goesl said. “He does standup, but he involves the audience so there’s a lot of interaction.”
The audience should expect Sinbad to talk with the audience. He’s conversational.
“He just starts to talk and it’s non-stop. He reacts to what the audience is saying to him,” Goesl said.
Sinbad did two standup shows at the Perot about 10 years ago. “Since we’ve had Sinbad here before and we sold him so successfully, the thought was, well, let’s see if we couldn’t get him in here again,” Goesl said.
Sinbad is great for kids, grandparents, the whole family, Goesl said. This show is also a way for TRAHC to see if there might be a local audience for comedy acts.
Sinbad’s comedy deals primarily with everyday life, Goesl said.
“He deals with situations with his mother, his grandmother, his sister, his brother. It’s family or church. It’s things that normal, everyday people can relate to,” Goesl said. “It’s things that, being African-American, African-Americans can relate to. But it doesn’t matter your skin color.”
If you have a crazy aunt, Sinbad has the funny stories you can relate to, Goesl said.
“It’s situational comedy ... it’s real life, everyday. It’s observational comedy. It’s listening to what’s going on and listening to what people are saying and then making comments on that,” Goesl said.
A few years ago, a rumor spread that Sinbad died. That mistaken “news” was worked into the comedian’s comedy.
“He’s got a whole routine about people thought he was dead,” Goesl said. “Again, it’s just telling stories, as opposed to doing jokes.”
That makes it a conversational standup style, he said, calling Sinbad a funny, nice guy.
In addition to his many other credits, Sinbad also started an academic scholarship in his parents’ names at Morehouse College. He’s also been a spokesman for the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering.
After Sinbad, next up for the Perot Theatre series is “Broadway Rox” on Oct. 16.
(Tickets: $46, $40 and $33. Discounts available for groups, students, seniors and active military. More information and tickets: TRAHC.org or 903-7924992.)