The ‘First Night of Funny’ Rings In 2018: Censored and Uncensored

Comedy took over the Capital Region for 2018 with the First Night of Funny! With shows on New Years Eve at the Egg, Proctors Theater, Cohoes Music Hall, and the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, the laughs were accessible and plentiful. I for one wasn’t initially planning on ringing in my 2018 with comedy, but after reading about some of the performers, I couldn’t resist. With tickets in hand to the uncensored show at the Egg, I had more laughs in one night than probably in all of 2017 (I swear my year wasn’t as awful as that just made it sound).

I appreciate all types of comedy, but I chose the uncensored show because I’m crass and I appreciate quality dirty humor. That being said, I also appreciate everything from physical comedy to dry, whitty jokes. The First Night of Funny did not disappoint. Six comedians were in the rotation on New Years Eve- Rich Vos, Paul Virzi, Myq Kaplan, Joe Bronzi, Brian Beaudoin, and Wali Collins. These guys are pros, and have been everywhere from MTV to Sirius to Netflix.

At the Egg. I got to catch Brian Beaudoin, Paul Virzi, and Rich Vos headline. Brian Beaudoin got the crowd laughing (and me in tears) at some amazing stoner-style comedy that will make me never look at an elf-on-the-shelf the same again. With a physical presence that matched his comedy routine, his act was purely hilarious. Paul Virzi took over the stage next, immediately after performing in Cohoes. He brought a style of comedy that made the audience do everything from laugh to question their moral compass, with a New York City flair. From the second Paul Virzi walked on stage, it was energy and laughs. Rich Vos finished up the show with everything from dry whit and subtle jabs, to in-your-face-jokes and heckler-shutdowns. It was such a great show, with a varied line-up, that I’m pretty sure that the First Night of Funny is going to become an annual tradition for me. Because really, why not end off a year with laughter! And another huge congrats to all of our ticket winners who got to enjoy!