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Comedy Review: Have a Nightcap at Night Cap with Stacy Rumaker

Maria Felix: faux waitress, real triple threat

LA is a comedy town.  From Groundlings to the Improv, Upright Citizens Brigade to the Laugh Factory, we have some of the country’s top comedy clubs within a five-mile radius. Now you can add to the mix The Night Cap, a monthly comedy event, coming up next on Saturday, September 21.

The Night Cap is hosted by Stacy Rumaker and features a group of comedians adept at standup, satire, singing, and witty repartee. It’s in a 1920s bar, The Virgil, located at Virgil and Santa Monica, so you can play along with the evening’s drinking game.

“Cocktail waitress” Maria Felix sets the parameters: when Stacy drinks, you do too! Maria plays a waitress, but she’s actually a performer, writer and producer. Oh, and there aren’t any waitresses. Offstage, it’s bartenders only. Belly up and grab a couple before the show starts so you can keep up with Stacy.

Stacy’s opening monologue consists of a series of ripped-from-the-headlines one-liners of varying quality. One example: “Biden losing his lead is just another white man missing a layup.” (Some are better than others.) She keeps things moving and lets the rest of the performers, led by co-host Kash Abdulmalik, shine.

Songs, videos and even a commercial spoof make up the fast-paced show. The few duds pass quickly. Trump’s proposal to buy Greenland was the subject of a particularly strong piece featuring a used country salesman trying to move democracies, monarchies, and patriarchies. You can save some green on another great land: How about Afghanistan? Act now and get a free caliphate!

Co-host Kash Abdulmalik cracks up The Night Cap’s Stacy Rumaker

The August show also featured funny bits about the Amazon rainforest fires (too soon?), chicken sandwich wars, the death of Kirsten Gillibrand’s presidential dreams, editing Emma Lazarus and the impending ubiquity of pumpkin spice latte. The infuriating Cars 4 Kids commercial became Kevlar 4 Kids (“That’s K as in AK!”) in a video piece about bulletproof backpacks. (I laughed, but it felt wrong.)  Who knows what September’s hot topics will be?

The Night Cap closes out with a Bill Maher-style panel, where TV and comedy club pros take the show out on a high note.

Stacy has gathered a stable of strong performers. Kash, Maria and talk show panelist Atsuko Okatsuka  were standouts. If you like your humor slanted to the left, this could be your Saturday night pick. With a $5 admission fee and bargain-priced drinks, you definitely won’t feel ripped off.

The next monthly edition of The Night Cap with Stacy Rumaker is Friday, Sept. 21. Doors open at 8:00 PM and the show starts at 8:30. Yes, tickets are $5 and can be purchased in cash at the door. The Virgil is at 4519 Santa Monica Blvd. Parking is scarce, so take a Lyft and enjoy those cheap drinks!

 

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Laura Foti Cohen
Laura Foti Cohen
Laura Foti Cohen has lived in the Brookside neighborhood since 1993. She works as a freelance writer, editor and consultant. She's also a playwright affiliated with Theatre West.

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