Watching comedian, actor, and writer Steve Byrne wax about marriage, racial stereotyping, the election – and almost everything in between – made a compelling case as to why he’s been working non-stop for the past twenty years.
Byrne effortlessly engaged those in attendance with a significant amount of new material, referring every so often to a notebook he’d rested on a stool behind him on stage. His quick wit was especially apparent as he bantered with and chided the crowd at various points – a few of whom he would invite on stage at the close of the show to join in one of his well-known ensemble bits about a fictional boy band called Sausage Party. Byrne delivered on his promise that his jokes, especially when they ventured into politics, would deliver punchlines equitably – that being said, his sardonic impersonation of then-President Elect-now-President Donald Trump was achingly accurate.
Although his act is fearless and uninhibited, it’s still gregarious – and what makes Byrne’s comedy truly great is that it’s smart and earnest. His ability to connect to his audience is a valuable vehicle, and they seemed completely content to let him drive wherever he wanted.
Byrne will continue his tour with multi-show engagements in Los Angeles and Atlanta before returning to our general vicinity with a set of dates in Newport, Kentucky at Funny Bone on the Levee at the end of February. A new one-hour special, his fourth overall, is in the works for later in the year. He recently wrapped filming a documentary on stand-up contemporary The Amazing Johnathan, and he’ll appear in Jason Dallas’ Cupid’s Proxy, a family comedy that also features Valerie Azlynn, Jackée Harry, and Rex Linn.
Find out what Steve Byrne’s up to next by visiting his Facebook page or following him on Twitter.
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Photos by Grant Walters.