Laughing Stock: Paul Green’s lots more than a clean comic

Fans of Clean Comedy’s Vail Laughs and Marana Laughs will discover a whole new kind of fun when Paul Green comes to their stages this week.

A longtime improviser and musician, he brings an interactive dimension to his show. It’s as if Dana Carvey dropped in on “Whose Line Is It Anyway,” but with audience members in the cast.

Crowd interaction is the centerpiece of Green’s show, but, he said, “I pretty much made the decision that I’m the butt of every joke.” It’s a practice that’s served him well ever since he started mimicking his favorite comedians to entertain his grammar school pals.

“I would come in and do ‘Wayne’s World’ or Mike Myers and Dr. Evil or Austin Powers,” he said. “I could do all those voices and all those sketches.”

He said that at the time, he wanted to make people laugh as a way to overcome painful insecurity. Alas, that never went away, but he’s gotten better at making people laugh.

After taking improv classes in Tempe, he joined a well-known improv ensemble there, The Jesterz. Formed more than 20 years ago, the troupe has established two comedy theaters in the Phoenix area. According to Green, “They have a huge following in Mesa.” They are the Southwest’s answer to The Tenderloins.

“Jesterz is really where I started performing comedy on a regular basis in 2008,” Green said. “I started introducing musical improv games with them around 2009.”

Musical improv was new to the Jesterz and to the Mesa audience, but by the time he joined the ensemble, Green was an established jazz piano player. Scoring improv is a mind-bending idea, but he was a master at it. As a stand-up comedian, he often uses music to engage the audience, composing songs about audience members on the spot, or using a song to close the set, tying up all the highlights.

Beyond improv, Green also has trained in stand-up comedy, working with a coach who was so impressed that he told Green he “had what it takes,” to make it in LA.

Once there, he acted in commercials and continued developing the show he’s bringing to Vail and Marana.

Paul Green, Vail Theater of the Arts, Empire High School, 10701 E. Mary Ann Cleveland Way, Tucson, 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4; Coyote Trail Stage, 8000 N. Silverbell Road, Tucson, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10; tickets start at $10

Thoughts on clean comedy

It was in that bastion of the avant-garde, New York City, that Lenny Bruce was arrested, tried, convicted, and even jailed for a stand-up set judged to be obscene.

Naturally, that spawned a generation of comedians who relied on shock and awe — sometimes, the grosser, the better — to trigger laughs from their audiences.

We’re grateful for the shifts in social standards that allowed for the careers of Redd Foxx, George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Bill Hicks, etc. But we left a bunch of people behind.

At least once a month, someone tells this writer that they never go to see comedy — never — because they don’t see humor in insult/ bathroom/ sex/ race/ raunchy/obscene comedy. Whatever all that may mean to us, some folks don’t want any part of it, but, look, some folks don’t like mushrooms, either.

Any smart comic should be able to play those crowds, too. Nobody will miss the mushrooms, but everyone should be able to find a comedy pizza to help get them through the week.

Thank goodness Randy and Stephanie Jenkins make it easy for people to find family-friendly, hilarious comedy. The label is right in their name: “Clean Comedy,” hosts of Marana Laughs and Vail laughs.

OTHER SHOWS THIS WEEK

Chelcie Lynn is so much more than trailer trash

“Trailer Trash Tammy” was an internet celebrity before it was cool. Chelcie Lynn launched her character in 1994 in a series of comedy sketches that now have reached millions. It’s also spawned an enviably comprehensive merch line at eatmytrash.com.

Of course, Lynn is much more than “Tammy.” She’s the actor you might remember, among other credits, as “Madam Jillian” in the award-winning feature film “Tangerine.” Her 2021 comedy tour, “One Trailer Park at a Time,” sold out every show. The same year, Variety named her one of its Top Ten Comics to Watch. It’s worth checking to see if you can still get a ticket.

Chelcie Lynn, 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 2, Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress Street, tickets start at $29.50,

www.rialtotheatre.com

Hotel Congress, 311 E. Congress Street, Tucson, www.hotelcongress.com, 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, $15. “The Switch,” a curated cast of comedians makes up jokes around topics the audience suggests via text. Reservations recommended.

Laff’s Comedy Caffe, 2900 E. Broadway Boulevard, Tucson, 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3, and 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, www.laffstucson.com, $15, $20 preferred seating. Elliot Chang, as seen in “Chelsea Lately,” his Showtime and Comedy Central specials, and his hit YouTube channel about how he got from medical school to Hollywood.

Tucson Arena, 260 S. Church Avenue, Tucson, www.ticketmaster.com, 8 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 2, tickets start at $50, Jo Koy. Koy routinely sells out venues all over the world. His stand-up album hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts.

Tucson Comedy Arts Festival, Tucson Improv Movement/TIM Comedy Theatre, 414 E. Ninth Street,

www.tucsonimprov.com/tcaf,

$7 Wednesday and Thursday, $9 Friday and Saturday; 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 1, TIM Year in Review, “This Bimbo Can’t Drive,” “We Hate Comedy,” improvisation overnight team; 8:30 p.m., “Charles Darwin Experience” (UA), “Comedy Corner” (UA) and “Shatfan;” 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 2, “The Big Daddies” (Unscrewed Theatre) and “Triple Indemnity,” 8:30 p.m. stand-up show; 6:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3, “Tootpole” musical improv; 7:30 p.m. “The Soapbox”; 9 p.m. “The Big Wet Throbbing Queer Comedy Show;” 10:30 p.m. Late Night Jam and After Party; 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, Phoenix Improv, with Truffle and Comic Chaos (Unscrewed Theatre), TIM All Stars; 7:30 p.m. “Carcajadas” (comedia en Español y Spanglish) with “Como Se Dice” (TIM) and “Buenas Vibras” (Phoenix) plus stand-up comedians; 9 p.m. “Hustle and Flow” and “Birds and Broads” (both Phoenix) plus “Party Boyz” and Festival All Stars.

Unscrewed Theater, 4500 E. Speedway Boulevard, Tucson,

www.unscrewedtheatre.org, $8, live or remote, $5 kids. 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3, “From the Top” musical improv; 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, “Not Burnt Out Just Unscrewed” (NBOJU), 9 p.m. “The Backyard” improv playground

This article appears in Oct 27 – Nov 2, 2023.