Brooklynites busted a gut on March 21 during the return of Brooklyn Stand Up, a monthly comedy act in Clinton Hill.
Kerry Coddett, triple-threat entertainer and the creator of the show, stunned the crowd with a crack-up opening set before welcoming local talent back to the stage for Brooklyn Stand Up’s 10th anniversary.
“I’m happy to be returning now that I’ve regrouped and recalibrated. There seems to be like a really great need for great indie comedy shows,” Coddett said. “I’m back with a vengeance.”
What makes the show stand out is its unique halftime entertainment act, which welcomes guests on stage to riff with comics. From musical sing-alongs to improv sessions, attendees never know what they’re going to get, according to show-runners.
“It’s my favorite part of the show because I like for the audience to be a part of the show,” Coddett said. “You’re not just coming for a comedy show but you’re coming for like a full immersive experience.”
A rotating list of performers will return to the stage every third Thursday of the month, offering the crowd a chance to laugh until they cry.
“Comedy is a language. It’s just another way for people to communicate some of the things that are on their minds and important to them. In these extremely dark times, we need as many different languages and ways to unpack some of this stuff,” she said. “So comedy allows us to have a different perspective and add nuance to things and add levity to things that are so dark.”
Now in its new home at 275 Park Ave., Brooklyn Stand Up is what some would call a “must-see” performance, with some of the best names in comedy passing through — including SNL’s Micheal Che and Sam Jay and Mark Normand from Comedy Central. But crowds can always expect to see Coddett leading the quick-witted shenanigans.
“I’ve always been a writer and performer my whole life. I was always doing a million things but the one common denominator was always comedy,” Coddett told Brooklyn Paper. “My grandma always told me from the time I was like four that I could be a comedian. I thought she was laughing at me and it wasn’t until like my twenties that I realized grandma was right.”
