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Comedienne Poundstone comes to Fairfield University: Comedian Poundstone gets audience into the actNov 18, 2009 (Connecticut Post - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Comedian Paula Poundstone made just one promise about her show Friday night at Fairfield University's Quick Center for the Arts: "No one will get physically hurt. It's an injury-free show." Well, really, what else is there to say? Those who have followed Poundstone's stand-up career, which has spanned roughly 30 years, basically know what to expect from her performances. Yes, she tells jokes, like any other comedian. But even more than her musings on politics, motherhood and the like, Poundstone is known for her interactions with the audience. At nearly every show, the comic selects a few people at random from the crowd, grills them on their lives, then riffs on their answers. Occasionally, she gets a dud -- someone in data entry, for example, or a retiree who isn't doing much with his or her free time. But most audience members are game, and these moments often make up the cornerstone of her shows. "I have an act, with jokes," said Poundstone during a recent phone interview. "(But) it's the unexpected and unplanned that really gives the night its charm." The Massachusetts native began nurturing her gift for comedy in 1979 as part of the Boston comedy scene, before eventually moving to San Francisco. She now lives in Santa Monica, Calif., with her three children, 11 cats, one dog and a bearded dragon lizard. Poundstone's background includes several TV appearances, including two HBO specials, and a special on Bravo. Today, she's perhaps best known for her role as a panelist on National Public Radio's weekly news quiz program "Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me," which she's been part of for about seven years. Her roots, however, are in stand-up and her act has definitely evolved since the early days of her career. Those impromptu gab sessions with the audience weren't part of her original format, Poundstone said. When she first started out, she used to rigidly plan her act, going so far as to type up her material before an appearance, and painstakingly memorize every line. In those days, she was working in a restaurant, and she used to silently practice her routine during her shift. "All day long, I'd be busing tables and my lips would be moving," Poundstone said. However, once she hit the stage "the whole thing blew out of my head. Somewhere along the way I learned that, when the (material) blew out of my head, I'd go to the audience." Many of the audience interaction bits are so smooth and funny, some fans wonder if the people she selects are "plants," distributed among the audience to give Poundstone comic ammunition. But Poundstone said no. Most of the time, she's just lucky. In fact, one of the things she's learned over the years is that you can't really plan for life's -- or comedy's -- curve balls, and you have to roll with the unexpected. "Life experience makes you see things differently," she said. "I really embrace what I used to think of as mistakes." Paula Poundstone will perform 8 p.m. Friday at Fairfield University's Quick Center for the Arts, 1073 N. Benson Road, Fairfield. $35-$45. 877-ARTS-396, www.quickcenter.com. To see more of the Connecticut Post, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.connpost.com/. Copyright (c) 2009, Connecticut Post, Bridgeport Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |