I’ll probably never have the chance, but I’m certain that if the State Theatre ever opened its doors (and its bar) with nothing going on on the screen or the stage, I’d still go and hang out. With its latest round of comedians, the theater has again showed that it’s one of the best venues in Lincoln for anything that involves sitting and relaxing.
I’m most impressed, of course, with the show itself. Like other comedy shows I’ve seen in Lincoln, there was a large and lively crowd which was unafraid to interact with the performers. In the case of headliner Kevin Bozeman, audience members also weren’t afraid to buy him booze, a fact that made the last 20 minutes of his performance sweaty and scatterbrained. A lesson to aspiring comics: Make fun of Jaeger and you WILL get a shot of it.
Opener Johnny Beehner was also lively and did everything an opener should and then some. Not only was I already in a good mood by the end of Beehner’s performance, I was also really impressed by how much time he actually spent on stage.
Overall, this weekend’s performers at the State did a fabulous job, and though neither tackled material that isn’t conventional comedy fare, both did a fabulous job connecting with the audience, something best illustrated when Bozeman declared himself mayor of Lincoln to raucous applause.
Best of all, the State seems dedicated to bringing performers to the theater. There seems to be a stage event there at least every weekend, which illustrates how versatile the venue is. I also commend management for its choice of comics: The State isn’t breaking the bank to bring in superstars of stand-up like Dmitri Martin or Dane Cook, but they’re consistently attracting talented, very funny up-and-comers to provide great comedy for little more than the cost of cover at places like Duffy’s and Knickerbockers.
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