The rain didn’t deter comedy fans from enjoying the final shows of the Charleston Comedy Festival on Saturday night. Theaters across the city were packed with crowds ready to get their laugh on.
We spent the earlier part of the evening upstairs at Stars, an intimate space at the American Theater. New York’s Day Camp Kids improvised a fairy tale that involved an ocean laced with marijuana (sea weed?). They were followed by Manez, an improvising lady duo from Toronto, and the four-man HITMEN. Each act earned their share of laughs, but the guffaws we heard coming from The Most RACES Show in the main theater made us wonder what we were missing.
The next show at Stars sold out, so we stood against the wall with a few others to watch L.A.-based improv trio Popular Science and Toronto’s We’re From Here, which included the two members of Manez with the addition of one more comedienne. Sadly, we had to dip out early and miss Shawn Mikael(s) in order to make it to PURE in time for the next show.
Skinny Bitch Jesus Meeting was one of the festival’s most buzzed-about acts, and they did not disappoint. The sketch show started with a little song about two nuns who use orphans for science experiments, and it only got more outrageous from there. The Toddlers and Tiaras bit was one of our favorites of the fest. Compared to that, Pound for Pound seemed pretty low-key, but they impressed us with their quick wit and strong chemistry. The Pushers capped off the festival with a no-boundaries show that only made us feel guilty about laughing a few times. We didn’t make the finale, but we heard that it was one of the very best in the history of Comedy Fest.
Most of the festival artists headed to Butcher & Bee post-finale for the after-L’After Party. A dance party struck up next door at Tivoli, but most performers seemed content to hang out at B&B, eating, sipping beer, and chatting with new friends they’d made over the course of the festival. Although most had early flights to catch, the party lasted well into the wee hours — when we dipped out at 4, some people were still going strong. Those comedians sure know how to party.
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