Small Images 2014 at SBCC’s Atkinson Gallery

Small ImagesThe Atkinson Gallery hosts the 30th annual Small Images exhibition juried by Tif Sigfrids of Tif Sigfrids Gallery in Los Angeles. A juried competition featuring regional artists working in all media, the exhibition’s only constraint is size—all works must be 18” or smaller in every dimension. The diminutive scale of the works necessitates both intimacy and concision resulting in a dynamic exhibit that invites viewers to “take a closer look.”

The Atkinson Gallery was tremendously pleased with the enthusiastic response to Small Images from artists this year. The exhibition gathered an unprecedented amount of attention even before opening, with 372 pieces by 177 different local artists submitted for consideration. This was a significant increase in participation from the 246 pieces by 121 artists received in 2013.  From these submissions, Sigfrids selected 39 works from 29 artists including Esther Alinejad, Adrienne Allebe, Penny Arntz, Pamela Benham, Kit Boise-Cossart, Linda Branch, Phoebe Brunner, Lynn Coleman, Ralph Corners, Rob Decker, Rick Doehring, Benjamin Eckert, Elizabeth Flanagan, Diane Handloser, Holli Harmon, Marilyn Kandus, Fredda Leiter, Sara Lytle, Laurie MacMillan, Patrick McGinnis, George Sanders, Nicole Strasburg, Iben Vestergaard, Tio Vivo, Stephanie Washburn, Dorene White, Bill Woolway, Samah Yasin, and Pamela Zwehl-Burke for display.

Awards, including a $1,000 first prize, will be announced at 5:30 p.m. during the opening reception. This year’s exhibit is made possible with generous support from the Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Foundation.

Opening reception in October 3, from 5-7 p.m.

Exhibition will be on view from October 3–31.

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on September 28, 2014.

Christopher Titus’ “Angry Pursuit of Happiness”

Christopher Titus, courtesy photo

Christopher Titus, courtesy photo

Kids learn that “honesty is the best policy” at an early age, but for comedians to learn that lesson can take a little longer.

Before his breakout one-man show “Norman Rockwell is Bleeding” in 2004, comedian Christopher Titus admits, ” I had done comedy for about 12 years, and I was just kind of a crappy comedian. Nothing happened in my career until I threw all of my material away and wrote that show, which is the first time I was really honest about my life on the page.”

Drawing on dark, personal stories from “my mom’s suicide, to my dad’s alcoholism, to getting punched in the face by my ex-girlfriend, to all kinds of stuff,” that one-man show led to his dark comedy TV series Titus on Fox. The show also earned him a Writer’s Guild nomination and an Emmy nomination, and Newsday called him “TV’s most original voice since Seinfeld.”

Titus describes his comedy storytelling as, “hard funny …. Like if you put Bill Cosby in a horribly abusive home and he fell into a bonfire when he was 15.”

Whatever it is, it’s working.

“Norman Rockwell is Bleeding” paved the way for Titus’ future comedy albums/specials, “The Fifth Annual End of the World Tour” (2007), “Love is Evol” (2009), “Neverlution” (2011), “The Voice in my Head” (2013), and now his newest show, “The Angry Pursuit of Happiness,” which comes to the Lobero Theatre on Saturday, September 27 and will be filmed for a television special.

“This will be my sixth comedy special and this one is the best one I’ve ever done,” says Titus. “There’s a bit called this how life goes. There’s a bit called arm the children, a very funny bit, but it’s kind of a big FU to the NRA, actually to be honest … I even do my own eulogy in this special.”

He continues, “In comedy you have to make people question what you’re talking about. … A friend of mine calls it ‘the last bastion of freedom in America.’ So that’s why they can tell you on a TV show you’ve got to do it this way and this way or our advertisers won’t take it, but on the comedy stage they can’t do that to you.”

Titus speaks from personal experience on the TV show front: his Fox show was infamously cancelled when he spoke his mind to a network executive. “Yep, tell the network president they didn’t know what the hell they’re doing. It turns out if you tell your boss they’re stupid long enough they will fire you. Write that down. One of those rules of life. If you tell your boss they’re stupid long enough they will fire you. I said one sentence that cost me $30 million dollars. You feel better about your life now?”

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Unlike his previous shows, Titus says, “‘Angry Pursuit of Happiness’ this was a hard one to write for me, because my entire comedy thing has come out of pain and anger and my divorce and my crazy mom and my alcoholic dad. I got married again, I met this great woman after my horrible divorce and I got happy and I got really scared I’ve never been more uncomfortable in my life because everything was going well. So I had to deal with that in my life,” he laughs.

“That’s a rich white lady’s problem. You should just call me Miss Daisy. But if you’ve never had happiness and ease in your life, when it happens it’s unrecognizable. This show was about we’re all going to die. No one really believes they’re going to die. Deep down we all think we’re highlanders. I eat more broccoli than anyone, I take many supplements, and I will live forever! … But we’re all going to die and no one thinks about that and this is kind of about finding a different place in your life. ”

The cast of Pawnography, courtesy photo

The cast of Pawnography, courtesy photo

Life is indeed good for Titus these days. In addition to a happy home life, a busy career as a stand-up comic and writer and a new gig as the host of Pawnography on HISTORY, he’s also directing a film, Special Unit, about four disabled detectives. Titus describes it as “The Shield with handicapped people. …. basically due to the fairness and disability law the LAPD has to hire more the handicapped undercover detectives.” The cast includes Titus, as well as Brad Williams, a stand out in his performance at the LOL Comedy Festival at the Lobero earlier this month.

When asked if there is anything left on his career bucket list, Titus says, “you know, I love doing stand-up so much. George Carlin did 21 albums and 14 one-hour specials. There nobody currently even near that. but I’m gonna keep going till I croak on stage and people will think I’m doing a bit. They’ll think I’m doing a piece of material and watch me die and think that’s funny.”

Knowing Titus, it probably would be pretty funny.

He promises, “The show in Santa Barbara will be great. “There is some swearing in it but if you have a 16-year-old kid you could bring them. Any younger than that, I wouldn’t. … The truth can be painful, but the truth is really funny.”

Christopher Titus’ “Angry Pursuit of Happiness” is at the Lobero Theatre (33 E. Canon Perdido St.) on Saturday, September 27 at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. For more information or to purchase tickets click here.

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on September 22, 2014.

 

New Website Focuses on Local Artists

Santa Barbara Artist Directory, courtesy photo

Santa Barbara Artist Directory, courtesy photo

“People need to know where to buy and find local art,” says Peter Otte, a Santa Barbara-based web developer who recently launched a new online directory to do just that.

The SB Artist Directory  was specifically designed to help artists based in Santa Barbara County reach a wider audience by creating a simple profile and create artist portfolios, Otte explains.

“Santa Barbara has a lot of really talented artists working in the shadows. Our goal is to help artists build a better online presence,” he says.

Web Developer Peter Otte, courtesy photo

Web Developer Peter Otte, courtesy photo

For a mere $26 annual membership fee, artists may include a short profile, links to their social media pages and may upload as many images as they wish. The site is not juried. The only requirement is that the artist resides within Santa Barbara County lines.

Paintings, drawings, photography, and sculpture are all acceptable art forms. Otte says his intent is not to evaluate the work but simply to put it out there to provide greater exposure for the artists. Among the first group of artists to sign on for the site are several well known creatives, including Nancy Gifford, David J. Diamant and Kerrie Kilpatrick Weinberg.

“Having many artists friends in the community, we became aware of the need to help artists promote themselves on the web. Artists’ minds are made for creating, not so much for promoting themselves, especially online. We decided to create an online directory where any artist from Santa Barbara County can be featured at a very low cost,” Otte says.

In addition, the site also posts local art-related news and events free of charge. For more information visit http://www.sbartistdirectory.com/.

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on September 17, 2014.

Don’t Miss MichaelKate Interiors & Art Gallery’s Big Art Party

Untitled, by Dug Uyesaka, courtesy MichaelKate Interiors & Art Gallery

Untitled, by Dug Uyesaka, courtesy MichaelKate Interiors & Art Gallery

Brad Nack, one of the key figures in the Funk Zone art scene, is moving on from his position as curator at MichaelKate Interiors and Art Gallery to become Executive Director of The Santa Barbara Arts Fund, right across the street. In typical Nack fashion, he’s going out with a splash.

Ian Putnam, "The reconstruction," courtesy MichaelKate Interiors & Art Gallery

Ian Putnam, “The reconstruction,” courtesy MichaelKate Interiors & Art Gallery

The gallery is throwing a big art party this Friday night, September 12, from 5-8 p.m., featuring DJ Zac Pike and moderator Ted Mills, along with an impressive line-up of artists whose work the gallery has shown during Nack’s tenure.

The event is free and the artists include:

Julie B. Montgomery

Linda Saccoccio

Hugh Margerum

David J. Diamant

Pat Calonne

Jeremy Harper

William O’Malley

Holly MacKay

Larry Iwerks

Ian Putnam

Skye Gwilliam

Ted Mills

"BARCELONA," by Christine Lyones, courtesy MichaelKate Interiors & Art Gallery

“BARCELONA,” by Christine Lyones, courtesy MichaelKate Interiors & Art Gallery

James Lambert

Penny Arntz

Cynthia Martin

Karin Aggeler

Doug Pearsall

Carly Andrews

Diane Giles

Christine Lyons

Nelson Parrish

Michele Zuzalek

John Carlander

Dug Uyesaka

Tara Patrick

Isabelle Greene

"Bird on a Field of Mixed Greens" by  Philip Koplin, courtesy MichaelKate Interiors & Art Gallery

“Bird on a Field of Mixed Greens” by Philip Koplin, courtesy MichaelKate Interiors & Art Gallery

Brad Nack

Tony Askew

Dan Levin

Monika Molnar-Metzenthin

Wayne Hoffman and more!

MichaelKate Interiors & Art Gallery is located at 132 Santa Barbara St.,  805/963-1411.

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on September 11, 2014.

Maxine Helfman at Wall Space Gallery

Maxine Helfman at Wall Space Gallery

Maxine Helfman at Wall Space Gallery

Wall Space Gallery  features the first solo exhibition of  artist Maxine Helfman this week, including two special events: an Artist Reception on Friday September 12, from 6 to 8 p.m. and an Artist Talk – During the Funk Zone Art Walk Saturday September 13, from 2 to 3.30 p.m. The show is titled “Confounding Expectation.”

“In today’s climate of changing cultural and societal shifts, expected norms and ideals are all turned on their head with this extensive body of work challenging us to expand our boundaries of understanding,” says gallery owner Crista Dix. “Maxine Helfman’s work reinterprets classic portraiture, traditional ideas of esthetics and substance. In a collision of the unexpected, these images require the viewer to linger a little longer, to contemplate the ideas behind the work more deeply and question our sensibilities and presumptions of beauty, of our convictions and assumptions of gender, race and class.”

The exhibit, on view through October 26, showcases four unique series:

Fabrication discusses gender roles and identity. Boys between the ages of 8-12 wearing dresses, in an open display of their unique connection to the frock of their choice.

Historical Correction takes classic Flemish Portraits and connects us to race, class and gender.

Geisha talks of expectation, of subservience, where assumptions are made, questioned and left for us to answer.

-The newest series, Summertime, reminds us of the lush southern landscape through incorporated object, yet her portraits engage us in the power and grace inherent of the women who are comfortable in their skin.

Helfman is self-taught, late bloomer. After spending years as a stylist and art director, Helfman realized her vision by getting behind the camera. She has since been shooting commercially for advertising and editorial clients, while pursuing personal projects. Her work has been recognized in PX3, IPA, Foto DC, Flash Forward Boston, Critical Mass, British Journal of Photography, Photo News, as well as the permanent collection of the Santa Barbara Museum of Art and the Museum of Fine Art Houston.

Wall Space Gallery is located at 116 E. Yananoli St. upstairs above AVA Winery.

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on September 11, 2014.

The Granada Theatre’s new “Monday At The Movies” Series

"Bugsy malone movie poster". Via Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bugsy_malone_movie_poster.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Bugsy_malone_movie_poster.jpg

“Bugsy malone movie poster”. Via Wikipedia –

Santa Barbara Center for the Performing Arts (SBCPA) recently announced the launch of MONDAY AT THE MOVIES!, a special series of films to be screened throughout the year in the Granada Theatre. The first in the film series will be Bugsy Malone on  on Monday, September 8 at 7 p.m.

Bugsy Malone is a 1976 British musical gangster film, directed by Alan Parker. Set in Chicago, the film is loosely based on Chicago events from the early 1920s to 1931 in the Prohibition era, specifically the exploits of gangsters like Al Capone and Bugs Moran, as dramatized in cinema.

This season’s filmed entertainment programming features the Elmer Bernstein Memorial Film Series, established by the SBCPA to honor the life and work of noted film composer and Santa Barbara resident Elmer Bernstein. The series presents an annual selection of films noteworthy for the importance of their musical scores to the telling of each film’s unique story.

Dates and film titles for the inaugural Elmer Bernstein Memorial Film Series are:

9/8/14 Bugsy Malone

11/24/14 To Kill a Mockingbird

1/26/15 Magnificent Seven

3/30/15 The Great Escape

“Elmer’s greatest passion was creating music for the arts, and it is truly an honor to have his legacy in film be memorialized in Santa Barbara, a city he called home,” says Elmer Bernstein’s widow, Eve Bernstein.

The inaugural series features selections by guest curator Paul Williams, an Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globe award-winning lyricist and composer.

“I’m thrilled at the opportunity to be the first guest curator for this extraordinary cinematic series,” says Williams. “The first film BUGSY MALONE holds a special place in my heart as I wrote many of the lyrics in the original film. This program will be a fantastic collaboration of impressive musical scores with the most advanced level of technology in the 21st Century.”

Screenings will be preceded by a conversation with Williams and other special guests about each film and its musical score.

Tickets range in price from $9 – $20, and are available through The Granada Theatre’s Box Office—please click here to purchase or call the Box Office at 805/899-2222.  The Granada Theatre is located at 1214 State St. For more information,  visit www.granadasb.org.

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on September 4, 2014.

Editor’s Pick for Fall: On Edge Festival

Microscope Toy Theater, Still from A Real Elephant, 2010, Courtesy the Artist.

Microscope Toy Theater, Still from A Real Elephant, 2010, Courtesy the Artist.

Thanks to support from National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara‘s (MCASB) popular Forum Lounge celebrates its 10th anniversary evolution into On Edge Festival, a four-day extravaganza of performance art, artist-commissioned projects and ancillary educational activities that embrace the spirit of diversity, experimentation and inquiry in contemporary art. Internationally renowned performance artists present their new works in what promises to be a landmark cultural event that embraces the experimental and unconventional.

The Green Surround Teaser from Performance Space 122 on Vimeo.

“We’re thrilled to have the continued support of the NEA for Forum Lounge’s exciting transition into the On Edge Festival,” says Heather Jeno Silva, Forum Lounge and On Edge curator. “The festival is both a glimpse into the future of what MCASB will become and a nod to MCASB’s rich history of supporting cutting-edge performance art over the last 30 years. This will be an landmark cultural event that embraces the experimental and unconventional, rivaling programs from larger, like-minded venues in metropolitan areas.”

From puppetry to dance to animation and interactive works, this festival has something for everybody and, with the exception of a couple of ticketed events, all performances are FREE.

Participating artists for the 2014 premiere of On Edge Festival include: Annie Dorsen, Faye Driscoll, Sarah Elgart, Elizabeth Folk, Janie Geiser, Heather Kravas, Microscope Toy Theatre, Miwa Matreyek and Surabhi Saraf.

The On Edge Festival will be the first event of its kind on the Central Coast, bringing internationally renowned performance artists to Santa Barbara to present their new work over one weekend.

“With this crucial funding, MCASB will celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the successful Forum Lounge series by presenting four diverse days of emerging local and international performance artists,” says MCASB executive director Miki Garcia. “The On Edge Festival exemplifies MCASB’s commitment to providing world-class, accessible programming as a stalwart of cultural happenings in the Santa Barbara community.”

On the Edge Festival is Sept. 18–21, 653 Paseo Nuevo, 805/966-5373, mcasantabarbara.org.

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on September 1, 2014.

Sullivan Goss Celebrates 30 Years of Art

Painting by Meredith Brooks Abbott

Painting by Meredith Brooks Abbott

Congratulations to Sullivan Goss. The iconic gallery is about to turn 30 and is celebrating with a special exhibition Sept. 4-Nov. 30.

To celebrate, the gallery will present an exhibition of each of the gallery’s currently represented artists. Signature examples by each of these artists will be on view with stories of the gallery’s history. In addition, the gallery will exhibit photographs of many of its greatest patrons by local photographer Stacey Byers.

"Foothill Images," Nicole Strasburg, 2013. Oil on birch panel.

“Foothill Images,” Nicole Strasburg, 2013. Oil on birch panel.

Artists included in this exhibition are Meredith Brooks Abbott, Anders Aldrin, Ken Bortolazzo, Colin Campbell Cooper, Leon Dabo, Lockwood de Forest, Edgar Ewing, Anya Fisher, Jon Francis, Don Freeman, Sidney Gordin, Robin Gowen, Richard Haines, Lyla Harcoff, Betty Lane, Dan Lutz, Nell Brooker Mayhew, Ben Messick, John Nava, Hank Pitcher, Frederick Remahl, Nicole Strasburg, Jean Swiggett, Sarah Vedder, Grace Vollmer and Howard Warshaw.

Sullivan Goss is located at 7 E. Anapamu St. in downtown Santa Barbara.

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on September 3, 2014.

Santa Barbara LOL Comedy Festival September 2-7 Features Jay Mohr, Brad Williams, Kirk Fox and More

Jay Mohr, U.S. Navy photo by Journalist 3rd Class Corwin Colbert, courtesy Wikipedia Commons.

Jay Mohr, U.S. Navy photo by Journalist 3rd Class Corwin Colbert, courtesy Wikipedia Commons.

We’re getting excited about next week’s Santa Barbara LOL Comedy Festival. Organizers recently announced the addition of three new headline comedians; actor, comedian and radio host Jay Mohr (8 p.m. on 9/5), actor and comedian Brad Williams (10 p.m. on 9/5) and television host and comedian Kirk Fox (6 p.m. on 9/6). All three of these performances will be filmed at the Lobero Theatre as one-hour stand-up comedy specials for future broadcast. These will be the first 1-hour specials for both Willams and Fox.

Previously announced specials being filmed for broadcast on Saturday, September 6 include “Andrew Dice Clay Presents the Blue Show.” In addition, “LOL Comedy Inc.” will be filming in and around Santa Barbara during the festival to give viewers “the coveted insider’s access to what goes on behind the scenes with some of today’s hottest comics, with the LOL Comedy Festival as its backdrop.”

Other live performances include a premiere screening of Rip Taylor’s documentary Rip Rip Hooray to open the festival on Tuesday, September 2, with Rip Taylor here for a Q&A after the screening at the Arlington Theatre.  Also performing are Russell Peters and his “Almost Famous World Tour” at the Granada Theatre on Thursday, September 4 at 8 p.m. and “Jim Jefferies Live” at the Arlington Theatre on Sunday, September 7 at 7 p.m.

Here’s the entire schedule:

Tuesday, September 2,  8 p.m. • “Rip Rip Hooray” • Arlington Theatre
The premiere of the Rip Taylor Documentary. Rip Taylor will be in attendance for the premiere and will be conducting a Q&A at the conclusion of the premiere. – Tickets: $18 & $25.

Wednesday, September 3, 8 p.m. • “Next-Up Stand-Up” • Lobero Theatre
Featuring the hottest up and coming comedic and musical performances (see website for details), “Next Up Stand Up” kicks off at the Lobero Theatre and will take place at different, locations downtown. “Next Up Stand Up” will be filmed as part of a series to be aired on Hulu and loflix.com. Tickets: $18 & $25

Ben Gleib, courtesy photo

Ben Gleib, courtesy photo

Wednesday, September 3,  10 p.m. • “SuperNaked” • Lobero Theatre
Be prepared for the musically unexpected. SuperNaked lives somewhere between the lines of Tenacious D and Flight of the Conchords with a raw intelligent and masterful comedic flare. With their hit show entitled, “Get SuperNaked!” This will be star-studded with guest comedians & musicians. Tickets: $18 & $25

Thursday, September 4, 8 p.m. – “Russell Peters: Almost Famous World Tour” • Granada Theatre
Canada’s number one stand-up export, Russell Peters will launch his world tour from Santa Barbara and the SB LOL Comedy Festival. Tickets $45, 65$, and limited Box Seats $72

Thursday, September 4,  7:30 p.m. • “Hot, Funny Femmes 1” Bring A Date • New Vic Theatre
Hosted by Latin Diva of Comedy Monique Marvez and BravoTV.com’s Nadine Rajabi, featuring some of the funniest woman in comedy today. Tickets $12, $18

Thursday, September 4,  9:30 p.m. • “Hot, Funny Femmes 2” Find A Date • New Vic Theatre
Hosted by Latin Diva of Comedy Monique Marvez and BravoTV.com’s Nadine Rajabi, featuring some of the funniest woman in comedy today. Tickets $12, $18

Friday, September 5, 8 p.m. • “Jay Mohr” Lobero Theatre 

Comedian, actor, radio host and best selling author, Jay Mohr has been performing stand-up comedy since he was 16 years old. Anyone that has ever seen one of his concerts will be quick to tell you that there is no one better. Comedy Central agrees, having named Mohr one of the 100 greatest stand-up comics of all time. Tickets for each show. $18, $25 and $40 for Gold Circle ticktes that include best seats, meet and greet and signed festival poster from Jay.

Friday, September 5, 10 p.m. • “Brad Williams” Lobero Theatre
Brad is filming his first one hour comedy special in Santa Barbara and has appeared on numerous TV shows including “Legit,” “Live at Gotham,” “the Tonight Show,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” “Mind Of Mencia,” and “Pitboss.” Brad’s show is high energy and Robin Williams called him “Prozac with a head.” Tickets for each show. $18, $25

Saturday, September 6, 6 p.m. Kirk Fox, Lobero Theatre
“Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” “Tennis Anyone?” and “The Test’s” own Kirk Fox will be filming his first one hour comedy special from the Lobero Theatre. Tickets for each show. $18, $25

Saturday, September 6, 8 p.m., Ben Gleib, Lobero Theatre 

ESQUIRE named Ben Gleib one of “Six comedians who could be comedy’s next big thing.” Ben is the host of IDIOTEST, the new comedy brain teaser game show on GSN (Game Show Network,) and for the last 7 years was one of the stars of CHELSEA LATELY on E! with over 100 appearances.  He was recently on tour in arenas all over North America opening for both Chelsea Handler and Dane Cook.  He’s the voice of Marshall the Sloth in “Ice Age – Continental Drift” the #1 animated movie. Tickets for each show. $18, $25

Saturday, September 6, 10 p.m. – Lobero Theatre – “Andrew Dice Clay Presents: The Blue Show”
Coming on the heels of his role in the critically acclaimed, “Blue Jasmine,” and his hit Showtime special, “Andrew Dice Clay: Indestructible,” Dice will present his favorite “blue” comedians on the Lobero stage with Eleanor Kerrigan, Jason Rouse and more. This show is being filmed for Broadcast. Tickets $18, $25, $35

Sunday, September 7 – Arlington Theatre – “Jim Jefferies Live”
The star of the hit show, “Legit,” and international comedy fan favorite, Jim Jefferies will round out the Santa Barbara LOL Comedy Festival. Show @ 7:00 PM. Tickets $32, $42

VIP Festival Passes and individual tickets are now on sale at lolcomedyfestival.comFor daily updates go to: http://www.sblolfest.com.

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on August 27 2014.

LOL Comedy Festival presents Brad Williams

Brad-Williams, courtesy photo

Brad-Williams, courtesy photo

Brad Williams has appeared on numerous TV shows including Legit, Live at Gotham, The Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Mind Of Mencia, and Pitboss. Williams has also performed for the troops all over the world. Williams’s show is high energy. Robin Williams called him “Prozac with a head.” Williams’s ability to make humorous observations on disability, relationships, sex, and race are winning over audiences and proving that anyone can overcome their shortcomings.

Williams appears at the Lobero Theatre on Sept. 5 at 10 p.m. as part of the LOL Comedy Festival. The Lobero is located at 33 E. Canon Perdido St. For more ticket information, and the full LOL Comedy Festival schedule visit SBLOLFEST.com.

 

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on August 27 2014.