Comedy News

Dallas Comedy Festival threatens to turn Deep Ellum into a laugh riot

Sinisterhood doesn't look so sinister.

Photo courtesy of DCF

There'll be laughs ringing all through Deep Ellum with the return of the annual Dallas Comedy Festival, positioned to be bigger than ever, with an increase not only in programming, IE more performers, but also in the number of venues.

This year's version will feature 213 performers, 46 shows/panels/podcasts, and five stages. "We're adding two more stages in Deep Ellum, to make it a fun, walkable festival for the neighborhood," says executive producer Maggie Rieth Austin.

The festival is affiliated with Dallas Comedy House, the comedy showcase located in Deep Ellum. It began when they moved into their Commerce Street location, which had a small bar and a theater seating about 70 people.

"This year, we're partnering with Independent Bar & Kitchen, Off The Record, Deep Ellum Art Co, and Dallas Comedy House to put up shows across the neighborhood and bring in more performers/workshops/members of the entertainment industry," Austin says. "We're excited to activate more parts of the Deep Ellum neighborhood, and have our attendees experience great comedy and some of the best shops and restaurants Dallas has to offer right here in Deep Ellum."

Bringing in more industry folk to participate in panels ultimately provides bigger exposure for the participating comedians, which helps up the game on who they can attract.

This year's headliners include Daniel Van Kirk, Jaime Moyer, and Maribeth Monroe.

The bill also includes nationally recognized podcasts "PenPals" and Dallas-based podcast Sinisterhood, and two industry-specific stand up and character showcases.

Festival badges are on sale now. Individual show tickets go on sale March 1 at 10 am.

Other highlights include:

J-E-L-L-O! Per tradition, the Dallas Comedy Festival is a Jell-O shot lovers dream. Kicking off the festival on Tuesday night is a Jell-O shot tasting of this year’s festival flavors. It’s not a comedy show, but everyone can agree that Jell-O shots are the funniest of liquor drinks.

Texas night: Wednesday is Texas Night, with all comedians having roots in Texas. The night features working stand-ups, improvisers, and comedic actors and writers from across the state, as well as a few who are coming home to Texas for DCF. Paul Varghese headlines the 10:30 stand-up show closing out the night.

Sinisterhood Live Podcast recording: If you like murder and creepy things, you may have already heard of the Sinisterhood podcast, featuring local comedians Christie Wallace and Heather McKinney. These conspiracy-theory-loving funny ladies will be doing a live recording of their hit podcast on Saturday evening.

Panels. An industry panel afternoon features entertainment industry professionals from across the country and will highlight ways to break into the industry for those starting out. On Saturday, a look into the DFW entertainment industry will be discussed with local agents, filmmakers, and working comedians, followed by a panel about building your personal brand.

86 the Bar: The Dallas Comedy House will be moving in early April to a new home across the parking lot. The bar at DCH needs to be cleared out as much as possible by the end of Saturday, the last night of shows at their current location.

Jaime Moyer & Maribeth Monroe: In their hit two-person improv show, Jaime Moyer (Second City, Modern Family, 2 Broke Girls) and Maribeth Monroe (The Good Place, Crazy Ex Girlfriend, Workaholics) will be closing out the festival with shows on Friday and Saturday night. Opening act is improv troupe The Late ‘90s from iO Chicago, returning for their third festival.

Hangover brunch: Join festival attendees and performers at brunch at Independent Bar & Kitchen. Badge holders receive 10 percent their bill.

comedy festivals

Movie Review

Daniel Craig searches for elusive new bond in audacious film Queer

Photo courtesy of A24

Drew Starkey and Daniel Craig in Queer.

As recently as the late 2010s, if a movie was made about an LGBTQ+ character, it was more than likely about their coming out experience. Romance, if it existed, was typically chaste, and actual sex was almost completely out of the question. Things have changed dramatically in the 2020s, to the point that a major movie star has no issue starring in a film called Queer.

Based on the 1985 novella by William S. Burroughs, the film features William Lee (Daniel Craig), whom everyone calls just Lee, a writer living in 1950s-era Mexico City who spends most of his time haunting local bars with friends like fellow writer Joe Guidry (Jason Schwartzman) and hitting on younger men. His early interactions in the film seem to indicate that Lee has a bad reputation within the local gay community, as multiple people avoid him or give him odd looks.

Lee senses an opportunity when he encounters a newcomer, Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey). Despite some awkward interactions, the two of them start spending time together, although Lee has much more invested in the relationship than Eugene does. Their hit-and-miss bond continues until Lee, who’s starting to get into drugs in addition to the booze, convinces Eugene to accompany him on a trip to South America.

Directed by Luca Guadagnino and written by Justin Kuritzkes (making their second straight film together after Challengers), early on the film seems to be mostly about the divide between an older person who’s grown comfortable in his ways and a younger person who’s living a relatively carefree life. The introduction of drugs into the plot changes things, though, with Lee searching out more ways to open his eyes to what the world has to offer.

Guadagnino and his team use some interesting visual storytelling techniques to introduce ideas that may not be present in the actual script. The most successful, demonstrated in multiple scenes, is the superimposition of movements by Lee over what’s actually taking place in the scene. The subtle overlay gives the audience insight into Lee’s true feelings, showing what he can’t or won’t say out loud.

Music also plays a big part in how the plot is perceived, with the use of anachronistic songs from Nirvana and Prince serving to heighten certain moments. The score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is not as in-your-face as the one they did for Challengers, but it complements the film well, especially when the plot starts to get trippy in its final half hour.

Craig, who appears sweaty and disheveled for much of the film, is about as far from the suaveness of James Bond as you can get in this role. He takes multiple risks with his performance and almost all of them pay off. Starkey’s character is subdued by comparison, but still comes off well. Schwartzman and Lesley Manville are given showy roles, with both using altered appearances that make them nearly unrecognizable to deliver memorable performances.

Queer is not as accessible as Challengers was storytelling-wise, but the fact that it tells a story about gay men living their lives as they see fit with no interference or questions shows how far the film world has come in a short period of time. It also continues Guadagnino’s streak of making audacious films in a way that few other filmmakers are willing or able to approach.

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Queer is now playing in theaters.

movies film

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Movie Review

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