Every Wednesday E.L. Wisty writes about the local comedy scene.
Start Strong: Say hello to Rory Scovel:
Who the hell is Rory Scovel, you ask? He’s a stand-up comedian in DC’s burgeoning comedy scene.
Yeah, I know: some comedians on the local scene are just plain awful–so awful that within seconds of hearing their first joke you wanna gut them and wear their entrails around your neck like a scarf.
Rory’s not one of them. He’s arguably the most talented and versatile comedian in DC: a stand-up who plays to the highest intelligence in the room, Rory can effortlessly follow the comedic themes he chooses to their logical (and hilarious) conclusions. He doesn’t have a hack bone in his body, and his ability to be truly in the moment-to, say, abandon his entire setlist to spend 20 minutes mining an audience member’s throwaway comment for all its comic potential-is legendary. It’s no accident that, in addition to being an exceptional stand-up, he excels at improvisational comedy, and was a mainstay in many Washington Improv Theater troupes.
Now: say goodbye to Rory Scovel.
Why? Rumor has it that he’s pulling up stakes and heading permanently to NYC, where the people ride in a hole-in-the-ground, where there’s apparently some sort of symbiotic “make-it there/make-it-anywhere” relationship, and where apartment hunting is a contact sport.
Unfortunately, this is becoming all-too-common: DC comedian builds a following, realizes that the market isn’t big enough to take him or her to the next level, gets a one-way ticket on the Chinatown bus. It started a little over a year ago when local favorite Erin Conroy decided that DC wasn’t where its at. Since then, a number of very talented local comics have apparently followed (or are planning to follow) suit: Ryan Conner. Rory. Frank Hong. Justin Schlegel. And word is that Danny Rouhier is also planning a trip up the I-95 black hole. One wonders how long other local talents like Chris White, who runs dcstandup.com, and Erik Myers, who’s already established himself as one of the funniest stand-ups on the East Coast, can hold out.
Of course, one also wonders about the talent pool they’ll be jumping out of. Nature abhors a vacuum and, while their talents will certainly be missed, the comedians remaining in DC won’t lament the slots made available by their absence-hey, stage time is stage time. Which means it will take some time before another group of comedians like the group that’s leaving finds its collective voice–and then discovers that voice will probably be better served in NYC. Until then, we’ll be forced to wade through too many open-mikers, some of whom, in all honesty, should be encased in blister packs and sold in sex shops.
Big Finish: One person who didn’t go the NYC route is Dawan Owens. Following either Horace Greeley’s or the Village People’s advice (or the advice of the Pet Shop Boys via the Village People), Dawan went West, lighting out for Los Angeles a few months ago. The Baltimore native and DC Improv favorite has already made good: he can now be seen on season two of Spike TV’s Pros Vs. Joes, a reality TV show that pits way-past-their-prime professional athletes such as Jose Canseco and Dominique Wilkens against average Joes in head-to-head competition. Not a comedy gig, but at least he’s getting exposure. And getting paid.
Rory Scovel is one of the greatest talents of our time. You are lying, “E.L Wisty,” you have to be.
I wasn’t even aware that DC had a “burgeoning comedy scene.” You learn something new everyday.
I saw him in Dr. Fantastic (was he also in Jackie?) at W.I.T., and it was absolutely great. He and Zhubin Parang (who also went to New York, but for a lucrative legal career) were both awesome.
Tell me that Zhubin Parang is not a fucking lawyer now.
Okay, I won’t tell you. But I will link you.
He can lawyer up my skirt anytime!
Does this have anything to do with Bill Cosby show telling kids to stop buying Air Jordans?
Rory is one of the most original and creative comics I’ve seen in the D.C. area in the past five years. If you get the chance to see/hear him, go for it. He’s an artist with comedy and he usually smells nice.
I definatly agree with everything said about the listed talent- all of those people are absolutly hilarious, and deserve all the good things said about them. I wish them all the success in the world.
In general, though, I wish stand up comedy articles didn’t feel the need to start out by dwelling on the negative. Yes, there are some bad comedians in the local talent pool. However, if this weekly article is being written to support the D.C. Comedy scene, is it necesary to talk about how as an audience, you often want to choke yourself with your own entrails while watching? Is that, and the sex shop statement, written with the intent of getting people excited about local comedy?
I do think it’s possible to talk about how talented someone is without having to preface it by saying nearly everyone else is terrible.
Audience members- if you go to a local open mic, out of ten comedians five or six of them are going to be good, one or two will be amazing, and one or two will waste your time. It’s not a barren wasteland out there.
Yes, Rory Scovel is amazing, but that dosen’t mean by default everyone else is uncomfortably bad.
Rory, stop writing about yourself.
“Until then, we’ll be forced to wade through too many open-mikers, some of whom, in all honesty, should be encased in blister packs and sold in sex shops.”
Damn man, I’d hate to be you. Your first article on DC comedy and it’s all about how much it’s about to start sucking. And you’re the one that has to cover it. How will you ever survive?
You did not do your home work, you should stop writing for friends and write for the public!!
Also all the “comedians” listed above with the exception of Rory and Erik suck shit!!
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