Review of “What Were We Talking About” at the Red Lounge
D.C is home to a huge music scene; every week you can see one band or another performing. However something you might not have thought about is comedy shows. At the Red Lounge Bar on U Street Cody Skinner has put together a hilarious comedy show, What Were We Talking About, which caters to all audiences. The show started promptly at 8:00 PM which is actually a feat worth mentioning seeing as shows these days like to “let the audience stew” mentality. As the show started Mr. Skinner gave very succinct but entertaining introductions to each and every comedian. The first act was Alex Star; a very vocal comedian who used a mix of current events and anecdotal stories to create an interesting, yet funny, narrative. The second act, Frankie Fresh, was an extremely strong and had me laughing for a good while. Frankie uses a very boisterous and energetic approach which created a fun and lively atmosphere in an otherwise darker environment. Frankie tackled a variety of topics including: race, sexism and classism.
The third act was Joe Gilpen. Mr. Gilpen was probably the most unique act of the night. While the other comedians were rather upbeat and energetic, Joe was laid back and took things at his own pace. His jokes were very awkward and deadpan which I found hilarious; unfortunately though many of his jokes fell flat with the audience. I’m actually extremely interested in seeing Joe again with a different audience that would be more receptive to his style of humor.
Act four was Pat Reily. Pat’s humor, while didn’t get a lot of outright laughter, helped create a light atmosphere that people could enjoy themselves in. His jokes were very sated and subtle with a hint of self-deprecation which was a nice change of pace.
Wendy Wroblewski, the fifth act, was one of my favorites. Wendy’s performance can only be described as millennial humor. It was dark, sexual and self-deprecating. It’s hard to not laugh when you realize everything she says about technology, sex and school hits so close to home. There was a slight emphasis on mental health which was interesting, seeing as most people like to treat mental illnesses as a taboo topic. I have to say that Wendy is definitely an act worth going out of your way to go see.
The sixth and final act was Jamal Dotson. Jamal was hands down the strongest act of the show. His upbeat yet extremely cheery demeanor created a wonderful atmosphere of cheer and laughter. Every one of his jokes landed and even when he told a weaker joke his sheer enthusiasm and joy automatically made the joke. It’s actually amazing thinking about how great his delivery was because his topics were actually pretty mundane. He talked about relationships, everyday life and the Olympics. He wasn’t afraid to talk about what some might consider low brow humor and his impressions were hilarious.
After the show I was able to get a short interview with Cody about his feelings on the show. He was excited at how great his first show went, “I love comedy. I like that anything can be funny if that person believes it’s funny”. He later told me that the D.C Comedy scene is thriving and now is a great time to get into comedy. He hopes to get more people excited about the art and had a few word for those aspiring comics, “Do as much comedy as you can. Just keep doing it and it’ll pay off”. Cody’s next show will be September 26th at the Red Lounge on U Street. He didn’t tell me specific acts, but he hinted at the fact that he’s gotten several well-known podcast hosts to perform. If you’re interested in find out more about Cody and his show you can follow him on twitter @codyskinnerfan and @wwwtashow.
