Breaking News: First Night of Funny offers laughs on New Year’s Eve
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » As a snapshot as to where things stand in the world of entertainment, it is almost breaking news to declare that First Night of Funny is going to take place on New Year’s Eve.
First Night of Funny is an evening of standup comedy at three area venues — Proctors in Schenectady, Cohoes Music Hall in Cohoes and the Charles Wood theater in Glens Falls.
The concept is to combine four comedians, each of whom do a 20-minute set of various types of comedy to provide a night filled with laughter.
What makes an announcement of an event happening so unusual this year is that in the past week there has been a plague of shows canceling on New Year’s Eve.
Sebastian Maniscalco cancelled his New Year’s Eve performance at the Times Union Center in Albany. The Dark Star Orchestra, one of the finest Grateful Dead recreators, has cancelled a two day engagement at Albany’s Palace Theatre on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. The Berkshire Bach Society has postponed its New Year’s Day performance of The Brandenburg Concerti at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall.
For the second year in a row, First Night is not happening in Saratoga. Too, several smaller events are streaming their shows rather than performing live.
So if you’re dedicated to going out on New Year’s Eve and prefer to laugh rather than mourn the lack of things to do — First Night of Funny is, perhaps, your best bet for the night.
It’s organized by StandUp Global and run by local entrepreneur Tommy Nicchi. A Saratoga resident, his business presence is best known locally for his comedy club The Comedy Works on Broadway in downtown Saratoga Springs.
Stand-Up Global is, however, a multifaceted organization featuring all things comic. Nicchi has opened a comedy club in Las Vegas. He has a management component to his business and has 10 comics as clients. He also provides his clients with marketing and merchandising support.
Nicchi is a major player in the comedy industry. Indeed, part of his workload is to go to New York City on a weekly basis to scout emerging talent.
First Night of Funny might be considered a showcase for his comedy management expertise. You won’t see giant names who could draw 17,000 people like Maniscalco does at the TU Center. Instead, you see comic craftsmen who earn a living making people laugh in small clubs throughout the country.
Nicchi’s knowledge of talent is what makes First Night of Funny work. He says the toughest part of the job is getting the right mix of comedy styles for each venue.
His philosophy is that four comics in a row, each telling wife or mother-inlaw jokes could make for a boring night.
He prefers to mix comedians who tell one-liner jokes with an observational comic and perhaps add a humorist with dark humor, and maybe a comic who relies on physical humor. There is no formula. The point is variety.
The only constant among the comics at First Night of Funny is he doesn’t book abrasive comics for New Year’s Eve, nor does he use comedians who depend on vulgarity for laughs. “This is not the crowd for that humor,” he says.
Another thing you won’t find on New Year’s Eve is political humor. “If you have to rely on politics to get a laugh, you aren’t really funny,” he says. “I don’t admire comics who depend on low hanging fruit.”
As for obtaining comics, Nicchi claims to have a waiting list of people wanting to perform. “It’s a great gig, he says. “They play in front of a well-behaved audience who wants to laugh. What’s the alternative?” he asks. “To be in a club where people are drinking and having to deal with hecklers?”
As for the audience, Nicchi feels they are the big winners. He says each of the comics appearing are experienced professionals. “Every comic on the bill has 90 or more minutes of killer material. I say to them, ‘Give me your best 20-minutes’ and they do.”
Summing up his attitude towards First Night of Funny he says, “The audience gets the best 20-minutes of four comics. How great is that?”
Under the category of frosting on the cake is timing. The shows at Cohoes and Glens Falls begin at 7 p.m. Proctors is at 8p.m. Each performance permits you to safely celebrate the New Year at home.
For information on Stand-Up Global and First Night of Funny go to standupglobal.com. Proof a vaccination for entry is needed and a mask must be worn inside.