The El Portal Theatre celebrated the first-year anniversary of Fritz Coleman’s Unassisted Residency last month, and now he starts a second year of filling the El Portal’s Monroe Forum with smart and sharp humor. To mark the occasion, Coleman was interviewed about the art of standup comedy.
“I love playing this theater,” Coleman says. “The Monroe Forum has an intimacy. Of course, there’s nothing like a big theater crowd erupting into thunderous applause, but there’s something special about this environment. Seating is semi-circular. I can walk right up and have eye contact with people. It feels like I’ve invited a lot of people into my living room, except the snacks and alcohol are better here.”
“I don’t yell and scream and do the Sam Kinison thing, so the intimate atmosphere lets you have a conversation. You can be dramatic, raise and lower your voice, and when the show’s over, I know I’ve made contact with everyone in my audience.”
Coleman is like a great artist who paints spectacular pictures with splashes of vibrant colors. Except Fritz offers splashes of hilarity from his palette of vibrant observations. That is what the beloved former NBC weatherman does with his sell-out standup shows. With the skill of an artist creating a masterpiece, he frames unique word pictures that are relatable and very funny.
Before Coleman’s performance comes his clever artistry that creates a great standup routine. Talking about his process, Fritz says, “I’m a very disciplined writer. I write for two hours a day. It’s very meditative for me. An idea will occur, then I’ll write a good set up for it. The one caveat I have for all my material is that it has to be relatable to a large audience of a certain age.”
Over the years, he’s made eight appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and Jay Leno, and reveals, “The Tonight Show had a mandate that you had to do a joke every 30 seconds. I don’t like to do ‘set-up, punchline’ like so many other comics. I tell stories with a twist at the end. I use a metaphor or an interesting observation to get the laugh. Making fun of myself helps the audience laugh at themselves. People may not be able to express their feelings about getting old. But I’m expressing it for them, so they can laugh about it. My whole mandate is to talk about common experiences and create a community of laughter. This does a couple of things— it tickles us, and takes the pain of the experience away.”
Someone once called Coleman’s show a “baby boomer support group.” He likes that description. “I think the job of a comedian now is weightier than ever before. I don’t do political humor, because for one hour and a half I want to lift people out of the weightiness of their lives.”
When Coleman hears bubbling chatter from the audience before a performance, he says he knows it will be a great show. “There’s an energetic vibe that comes from an audience and comedians can usually tell how good an audience is going to be by how actively they’re conversing before the show. If it sounds as quiet as a church you’re going to have to work for your laughs.”
Smart funny humor and word play are hallmarks of Coleman’s standup. Not surprising, he was drawn to the standup world when he was in high school and went to George Carlin’s show at the Valley Forge Music Fair. “I’m not exaggerating when I say it was a religious experience. I’m a big fan of language and no one investigated the language better than Carlin.”
What makes Coleman proud about his craft? Fritz says, “I try to be smart. I don’t talk down to the audience. I’m proud to offer relatable, well-written comedy that’s a little different. People come up to me after the show, particularly older people, who say, ‘Thanks, I really needed those laughs.’ It’s like I gave them relief from their aches and pains for a little while.”
The five-time Emmy Award winning Fritz Coleman will continue to showcase his comedic artistry throughout the 2024/25 season. “And I’m happy to be here through 2050,” Fritz insists.
Fritz Coleman’s Unassisted Residency, in the Monroe Forum at the El Portal Theatre, 5269 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood in the NoHo Arts District. Upcoming shows Sundays at 3 pm, September 15, October 20, November 10, 2024. For tickets and information call 818-508-4200, or go to www.elportaltheatre.com.
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