To celebrate National Humor Month, which begins, appropriately enough, with April Fools’ Day, check out these three up-and-coming local comics. With material spanning absurdist insights and dating horror stories, these homegrown acts have a gag for every group.
Liz Blanc
Hometown: Canton
Style: Recalling Jerry Seinfeld and Taylor Tomlinson, Blanc is an observational comic who specializes in cringe-worthy humor that riffs on everything from guns to dating to workplace dynamics.
Bio: A former high school English teacher, Blanc found a wealth of material in classrooms full of angsting teens. “I love to take awkward situations and make them just a tiny bit more awkward,” she says. She’s performed everywhere from a craft store to Hilarities 4th Street Theatre since her debut at the Lakewood Village Tavern five years ago. “I’ve always been goofy,” says Blanc. “A lot of it comes from the fact I’m 6’1” and I’m a girl.”
How You Can See Her: For upcoming dates, check out @itslizblanc on Twitter.
One Line For The Road: “Next semester, I’m going to a 401(k) model classroom: I’ll wait to see what my students put in, then I’ll match it.”
A.J. DiCosimo
Hometown: Garfield Heights
Style: With ample one-liners and non sequiturs, DiCosimo is equal parts Steven Wright and Rodney Dangerfield, plus a touch of Joan Rivers’ acerbic observation.
Bio: A New Yorker contributor, DiCosimo is keenly aware of the value of more literary humor. “I always make writing my top priority,” he says. “At the end of the day, stand-up is a writers’ medium.” To wit, DiCosimo wrote jokes for MAD magazine’s Twitter and appeared in the final issue of that late, great satirist’s haven. His stand-up audiences can expect similar absurdism and a walk on the darker side.
How You Can See Him: DiCosimo appears frequently at the East End Bistro & Pub in Lakewood. For upcoming dates, check out @ajdicosimo on Twitter.
One Line For The Road: “Oranges, or as I like to call them: ‘Just pulp.’ ”
Juanda Mayfield
Hometown: Cleveland
Style: Mayfield’s parents kept comedy records spinning when she was a child, and she draws influence from everyone from Richard Pryor to Jim Gaffigan. With ebullient, conversational sets that adapt for her audience (“everything from kid’s shows to adult humor”), Mayfield covers dating, food and womanhood.
Bio: This festival regular taught at a Cleveland charter school for 11 years before going on the comedy circuit full time in 2007. She’s also an expert couponer, dispensing free tips (and jokes) on Instagram. “Since I was a kid, I’ve always wanted to make people feel better and keep people entertained,” she says. With a repertoire that finds her equally at home in churches, clubs and bars, Mayfield’s signature is giving out “free hugs” at the end of each performance.
How You Can See Her: Mayfield performs regular gigs at Hilarities and The Improv. For upcoming dates, check out @juandamayfield on Twitter.
One Line For The Road: “I love working with kids, but some of them have problems: A.D.D., A.D.H.D. ... S.T.U.P.I.D.”
