By Karen Wolizter
Two months ago, I went to the Brokerage Comedy Club, in Bellmore, and saw Jessica Kirson perform. I smiled from the moment she started talking until three days later! She's going to be famous...mark my words!Jessica started doing stand-up four years ago, after taking a class at the American Comedy Institute. Who knew you could learn to be funny? "Everyone, my whole life, told me I should be a stand-up comedian," she says. "They say I've been doing this stuff since I was a kid, but the thought of stepping on stage made me sick to my stomach, so the class helped.You go for six or eight weeks and you get up in front of the class each week then at the end you perform for an audience," she explains. "I did my set at Caroline's on Broadway. There were a ton of people there and my family came-it was an amazing experience. When I got off stage, I thought I've got to do this...and I started getting work quickly...about one show a week, then two then three." It's no wonder-she's hysterical. Her bits about her mother, who's a therapist, are hilarious. She talks a lot about her family. "All of my material comes from real life experiences. I find it very hard to talk about anything that hasn't happened to me," she notes. "It's basically stuff that's happened to me or stuff that I pick up on a day to day basis, of course, it's usually exaggerated. If I say my family has to have a cake and a party for every occasion...like this past Flag Day...we didn't really have a cake on Flag Day," she laughs. "I talk about people in NY, stuff that I notice in people that annoys me... I don't just do jokes. I do a lot of wacky stuff..." The night I saw her she came out on stage talking in this high, squeaky voice and I remember thinking it was funny, but if she talked like that for the rest of the show I'd go insane. After a minute she said, "Imagine if I really talked like that?" And the laughter began. Her accurate impression of a little dog sticks out in my mind.She's definitely become one of my favorite comedians. Her favorite comedians are Carol Burnett and Lucy and the people from the old
Saturday Night Live. "I love anyone who's free, who can go nuts and not be uptight...like Robin Williams. I used to watch Jerry Lewis when I was young and I think there's a part of him in my humor." Whatever is influencing her...it's funny. Yet, although it seemed like the laughs were effortless on her part, she says that it takes a really long time to get a joke to be so strong that you know it's going to do well. "You have to do it hundreds and hundreds of times," she admits. "There are some jokes that I've done for a really long time that don't get laughs, then one day, it just starts killing. I don't know why that happens-it could be that I added a word or changed the tempo-it's really weird. Sometimes I tape myself to see what's working and what's not and why. "I love when people come up to me and tell me that they haven't laughed so hard in ages," she says with a smile. "I went to school to become a therapist, but that was too depressing. I really wanted to help people and I feel like this is a way of giving to people." And people are loving her...at Dangerfield's, Gotham Comedy Club, Stand Up New York, Boston Comedy Club,The Brokerage Club and Governor's Comedy Cabaret-where you can see her on December 13 or 14. The people at Comedy Central recognized her talent, too. She'll be featured on
Premium Blend on December 21. "That was very exciting," she says. "I did it at John Jay College in the City. It was really cool. I got to do my favorite jokes and had an amazing set. I'm also on the Nickelodeon show called
Sixth in the Suburbs. I play a coach/English teacher. And I'm going to be doing promos for Comedy Central, where I'll be doing jokes on the streets of New York. I'm excited about that, too." Come catch the excitement at Governor's. Forget about shopping for a while, stop wrapping presents, get a babysitter...do what you have to do. Just don't miss Jessica. You deserve a laugh!
Governor's Comedy Cabaret
December 13 and 14
8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.
Admission: $12.50 plus two drink minimum
