Brian Regan doesnยt play comedy clubs too often anymore ย a couple of Comedy Central specials and albums have given him big-theater status. This means he no longer deals with the distractions of the club scene, like the menu. ยI was always intrigued when they served food in a comedy club,ย Regan says. He tells the story of a guy in the front row who was really into the show ย until his meal arrived. ยThe cheeseburger, all of a sudden, trumped me as the headliner in his life,ย Regan says. ยHis eyes rolled back into his headย
[I thought], ยIยve lost this guy; I canยt compete with a delicious cheeseburger.ยย
Although he no longer contends with burgers, fame has brought new obstacles. ยIยve always been careful not to become a caricature of myself,ย he says. He points to his tendency to prowl the stage and get physical in his joke-telling. He says if he reads about any one aspect of his act too regularly, he tends to move away from it. ยI donยt want to be a thing that you can easily hang your hat on. I donยt want to be the ยBrian is the guy that dot, dot, dot,ยย he says.
His quest to keep fresh has garnered him respect from both the general public and his peers. His jokes about everything from doing badly in school to raising children to the ridiculousness of Fig Newton serving sizes have earned him accolades from comics both big and small. ยIt means an awful lot to me,ย he says. Iยm always flattered to have people who do what [I] do like what [I] do.ย 8 p.m. Verizon Wireless Theater, 520 Texas. For tickets and information, call 713-230-1600 or visit www.verizonwirelesstheater.com. $35.50 to $39.50.
Sat., April 19, 8 p.m., 2008
This article appears in Apr 17-23, 2008.