Now is an undeniably great time for stand-up comedy. Anyone who says that stand-up is dead has not been to a live comedy show, especially in NY and LA, in the last couple of years. A certain punk rock mentality has been injected into the veins of the form and has sprouted a whole new interest as well as an ever-burgeoning group of up-and-coming comedians that really channel this great “shoot now, ask questions later” spirit. One of the best examples of this, as well as the person who gets our Tip of the Hat this week, is the brilliant, fierce, and side-splitting-ly funny Lizzy Cooperman.
Lizzy, whether she is doing 5 min. or an entire hour at a bar or on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, instantly makes an unique experience out of any performance. From the moment she takes mic to the end of her set, it’s comedy that reaches a rare level of being thrilling. At this point, it might sound like Cooperman has a devised some incredibly clever mash-up of performance art and comedy, but that would likely suggest that she doesn’t go through a barrage of jokes that hit fast and hit hard as well as the coda of many of her jokes in a resounding slam of her accompanying keyboard. It’s her combining well crafted jokes with an indisputable stage presence that is absolutely riveting. Together, it’s the complete hysterical experience that is watching Lizzy Cooperman tell jokes.
Her absurdist, though inspired through her eccentric and delightful world view, jokes may range from delightfully silly to hilariously visceral, but are always compact enough to never let an audience out of her grasp. If you think it’s too silly like her joke about the naming of Garbanzo Beans, Lizzy’s sheer confidence will make you laugh and applaud resoundingly.
Show after show and set after set, Lizzy has done exactly as we have described in the paragraph above and thusly become a darling of the LA comedy scene. Almost a year ago, we saw Lizzy do a show in what can be considered small for a black box theater and not only did she do great, but a girl in the audience stood up on her seat in three inch platform shoes and cheered Cooperman on during her set as if it was some sort of political rally. Check any comedy show’s line-up for her name, follow her on Twitter @lizzycooperman and then go out of your way to see her because that’s exactly what we do.