dan levy

LA’s newest home for comedy, especially the kind that colors outside the lines, The Elysian, is officially alive. We have artistic director Kate Banford join us for this week’s TCB Field Report to give us the origin stories of both herself (her first theater in Philadelphia, The Good Good Comedy Theatre) and this shiny new theater (and even explain why they went with a skunk for a logo). Banford has long since done and championed comedy that pushes the art form forward and, with so many LA venues closed over the last two years, it’s a saving grace that Kate and company have come in with The Elysian in Frogtown (or more formally known, but never referred to as Elysian Valley).

Also, “hot” takes on Vulture’s Comedians You Should & Will Know list, Dan and Eugene Levy’s lifestyle series, and the new Charlie Chaplin doc on Showtime.

Find Kate @katebanford on IG and @kbanf on Twitter at and The Elysian at elysiantheater.com and on IG and Twitter @elysiantheater

The Comedy Bureau @thecomedybureau across platforms and please, please support TCB via GoFundMe, Patreon, or on Venmo (@jakekroeger).

Produced by Jake Kroeger
Music by Brian Granillo
Artwork by Andrew Delman and KT

Pick of Day: In Stitches-Hydrocephalus Association Benefit 11/19

November 18, 2020

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chris estrada, dan levy, Debbie Allen, esther povitsky, hyrdocephalus, jamie lee, jesse tyler ferguson, kurt braunohler, max greenfield, Meghan Trainor, natasha bedingfield, neil patrick harris, Nigel Lythgoe, rachael harris, sebastian maniscalco, wayne brady, whitney cummings

One of the biggest benefit shows this week is dedicated to raising money in the fight for the deadly condition known as Hydrocephalus via the Hydrocephalus Association. The condition is caused by build-up of fluid in the brain and can currently only treated by brain surgery.

Annually, the Hydrocephalus Association puts on a big benefit show, In Stitches, and they’ve really outdone themselves this year with this 2020 virtual edition. For comedy, Whitney Cummings, Kurt Braunohler, Chris Estrada, Jamie Lee, Dan Levy and Esther Povitsky are on the bill, but there will also be a special musical performance from Natasha Bedingfield as well as some cameos from Debbie Allen, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Max Greenfield, Neil Patrick Harris, Rachael Harris, Nigel Lythgoe, Wayne Brady, Sebastian Maniscalco, and Meghan Trainor.

That’s bordering on a mini-festival line-up and should make for a pretty swell Thursday evening this week.

In Stitches is virtually set for Thurs. Nov. 19th at 6PM PT/9PM ET. Tickets for the live-stream start at $50. There will also be a silent auction and a virtual red carpet starting at 5:30PM PT/8:30PM ET.

Coastal Elites Trailer Shows HBO’s First Socially Distant Original Production

August 17, 2020

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coastal elites, dan levy, hbo, issa rae, jay roach, kaitlyn dever, paul rudnick, Sarah Paulson, trailer

The complete unveiling of HBO’s first socially distanced original production is just around the corner. Pretty quickly into quarantine, HBO put Coastal Elites into production with director Jay Roach and writer Paul Rudnick and very, very star studded cast of Bette Midler, Kaitlyn Dever, Dan Levy, Sarah Paulson, and Issa Rae.

The prestige of a network such as HBO wouldn’t dare settle for a simple lo-fi Zoom look even though every cast member has to perform a monologue to camera by themselves. So, as you can see in this very first trailer, they really make use of very dramatic lighting and subtle (or not so in Paulson’s case) set decoration to give some sort of stately, theatrical look.

It does come off as sort of a stage play with individual performances that exude the title “Coastal Elites”, but the more than capable cast has us drawn in just to see exactly what Roach, Rudnick, and HBO are attempting to pull off.

We won’t really find out until Coastal Elites premieres on Sat. Sept. 12th on HBO, but you can get a very sweet, but short taste in the trailer here.

HBO Made an Entirely Remotely Produced Under Quarantine Satire, “Coastal Elites”

June 17, 2020

News

Bette Middler, coastal elites, dan levy, hbo, issa rae, kaitlyn dever, Sarah Paulson

It’s inevitable that some upcoming television and film will speak to the unprecedented time that we live in now. Already, Parks and Recreation and Apple TV+’s Mythic Quest have made remote specials/episodes.

Now, HBO is stepping into the realm of remotely-made-specials-in-quarantine with the upcoming Coastal Elites from writer Paul Rudnick and director Jay Roach (maybe you caught his Bombshell right before the pandemic reared its ugly head). Boasting a dream cast of Bette Middler, Kaitlyn Dever, Dan Levy, Sarah Paulson, and Issa Rae, the special will hone in on the sort of tension and anxiety that the pandemic has brought to us all, especially when it comes to where we all stand politically.

Thus far, shows/networks that have attempted to do remotely produced content have gotten incredibly clever with how to tell a story while in lockdown, especially as they’ve been making “very special episodes” of pre-existing shows. Coastal Elites will stand as an original stand-alone special and will very likely have a lot more leeway with what they can do rather than trying to figure out why Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally are in the same room even though they are enemies on Parks and Recreation.

The September premiere date would also suggest that Rudnick and Roach are going to take their time to make the most out of watching, presumably, talk directly to camera.

Comedy Dynamics Made Their Own Stand-Up Showcase Series “Coming To The Stage”

April 15, 2015

Uncategorized

comedy dynamics, coming to the stage, dan levy, dave anthony, matt mccarthy, sara schaefer

(via Splitsider)

So, 12 comics intros at live shows could potentially be, “You’ve seen our next comic on “Coming To The Stage”, coming to the stage…”

Dave Anthony, Matt McCarthy, Sara Schaefer, Ian Abramson, Rob O’Reilly, Jen D’Angelo, Rell Battle, James Davis, Jesse Popp, Benji Aflalo, Joe Sib, and Allen Strickland Williams make up 12 comics that will be hosted by Dan Levy in the new stand-up web series Coming To The Stage.

It’s a line-up you should definitely watch as featured in this trailer.

Comedy Dynamics caught some footage at the “hallowed” rooms of the Hollywood Hotel and Tribal Cafe showing that they searched everywhere they could for the best comics they could find.

Coming To The Stage is set for release online May 6th.

Jonah Ray Dance Battled a 1st Grader at “Baby Talk”

March 9, 2015

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baby talk, blayne smith, dan levy, dance battle, jensen karp, jonah ray, nerdmelt

This really happened this weekend at Baby Talk @ Nerdmelt Showroom.

At the wonderful Nerdmelt Showroom, home to The Meltdown with Jonah & Kumail. Jensen Karp and Dan Levy put on a show called Baby Talk where they interview comedians about their childhood and having children, then have an actual child talk to them as well as show off a talent.

This past weekend, the show had The Meltdown’s Jonah Ray as well as 1st grade child actor/break dancer Blayne Smith face off in a dance battle.

Watch Jonah take his turn dancing, which should make up for any leftover sluggishness from daylight savings time.

The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 84: Kate Banford & Homes for Weirdness

Pick of Day: In Stitches-Hydrocephalus Association Benefit 11/19

Coastal Elites Trailer Shows HBO’s First Socially Distant Original Production

HBO Made an Entirely Remotely Produced Under Quarantine Satire, “Coastal Elites”

Comedy Dynamics Made Their Own Stand-Up Showcase Series “Coming To The Stage”

Jonah Ray Dance Battled a 1st Grader at “Baby Talk”