Nervous Laughter

The search for Philly's funniest comes to a close.

by Mark Maurer

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Published: Aug 12, 2008

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Roger Weaver was relieved — or something close to it — when he was informed he made it to the next round of this year's Philly's Phunniest Person Contest. His next obstacle is the semifinals, which will be held this Friday at Helium. "I'm still a little nervous," he says. "I'm not sweating or throwing up beforehand, but I do feel a bit uneasy."

The anxiety is probably well-found: In 2006, Weaver made it all the way to the finals before losing, and last year he didn't get by the first round. He plans to ease the tension this time by hitting up a few open mics to try out some topical material on the Olympics and the presidential race.

For what it's worth, he's in good company. Now in its third year, Philly's Phunniest is gearing up to pick a winner this weekend. The talent pool — which has been narrowed down from 140 to 28 over the past week — will be further trimmed to eight comics going into the finals Saturday. In addition to bragging rights, this last leg of the contest, hosted by Texas comic Jimmie Roulette, will award one comedian $1,000.

According to Helium general manager and contest creator Mary Rae Cox, the turnout was much higher this year (roughly an additional 40 contestants came out, making for a longer preliminary round), so snagging the crown will be considerably more difficult. Cox, who ran a similar contest at a Minneapolis comedy club, thought both Philly audiences and performers deserved an official tournament. "For us, it's the first time to see some of these comedians do a full a six minutes, giving us their best material, no holds barred," she says. "For them, it gives them an open stage and could be a possible career move if they hit a home run."

Pat House, a three-time contestant and host of Helium's weekly open mic night, has plenty of experience but is tightening his set with new material he hopes will work better than last year's. "The hardest part is deciding what your best five to six minutes is," he says. "You have to look at your set and narrow it down, comprising it of not just what you like, but what you're sure the audience will like."

Although audience votes determined winners in the preliminary rounds (which were hosted by 2007 winner Steve Gerben), a panel of local comedy writers will choose the semifinalists. The finals are in the experienced hands of Christina Lee, Comedy Central's executive for talent and programming development, Rich Miller of RCM Entertainment, and Vinnie Brand, owner of the Stress Factory comedy club in New Brunswick, N.J., among others.

Original material, stage presence and audience reaction will all factor into the judging. And while these categories are pretty standard, plenty of contestants are stepping onstage for the first time. Of the 140 total participants, Cox estimates about 20 percent are unknowns who haven't performed at even an open mic, let alone a professional venue.

But according to the nervous Weaver, who has been performing for six years, it's this mix of total amateurs and professionals that keeps things interesting. "The audience is seeing people who barely know how to talk into a microphone lumped in with people who have polished acts," he says. "It's kind of an odd mix."

Philly's Phunniest Person Contest | Semifinals, Fri., Aug. 15, 8 & 10:30 p.m.; Finals, Sat., Aug. 16, 8 p.m.; Winner's showcase, Sat., Aug. 16, 10:30 p.m., $20, Helium Comedy Club, 2031 Sansom St., 215-496-9001, heliumcomedy.com

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