Mission Mission

This Thursday night at the legendary Verdi Club! Read all about it:

Verdi Wild Things Are is a new comedy show on the 2nd Thursday of the month with a rotating lineup of special guests.

After the tragic demise of The Business at the Dark Room Theatre and the Cynic Cave at Lost Weekend Video, four alumni of those legendary shows set out to keep experimental standup comedy alive in the Mission District by uniting to form a might comedy Voltron at the venerable 100-year old Italian social club, the Verdi Club.

In July we’ll be featuring guest comedians Arjun Bannerjee, Allison Mick, Jesse Hett, and Mikey Walz.

Here’s a little more about the hosts:

Nato Green – Nato has a column in the San Francisco Examiner, a weekly segment on KALW public radio, has written for Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell on FX and been named San Francisco’s Best Comedian by the SF Weekly, Huffington Post, SFist, and CBS.

Natasha Muse – The SF Weekly once declared her a “Comedian to Watch” in 2014, and in 2016 they upgraded her to an “Artist to Watch.” She regularly features at the SF Punchline and Cobb’s Comedy Club, and has worked with such comedy luminaries as Maria Bamford, Roseanne Barr,Janeane Garofalo, Wyatt Cenac, and God.

Francesca Fiorentini – Francesca Fiorentini is a journalist, comedy writer, and performer. She is a host and producer with National Geographic Television’s show “Explorers” and with AJ+, the online channel of Al Jazeera Media Network.

More info and tickets here.

Chris “Generation Taint” Garcia has long been a Mission Mission fave, back when his act was all about the Mission and also now that he’s hit the big time. And I think his brand of personal humor might feel real good right about now.

Chris is no longer based in SF, but he’s back in town Tuesday and Wednesday for some sets at the Punch Line, and part of the proceeds are going to the Oakland Fire fund. RSVP and invite your friends and get advance tickets!

Little known Drama Talk & Drinks fact: Katie’s great uncle, James Doohan, played Scotty on the OG Star Trek. So when we got notice that there was a drag-king version of one of the original Star Trek episodes, “Mudd’s Women”, which was happening at Oasis, we knew we had to check it out. 

Amber Sommerfeld as Spock, Leigh Crow as Captain Kirk, and Honey Mahogany as Uhura

Brittany: That was fun! The woman who played captain Kirk, Leigh Crow, was amazing!

Katie: Yes, she totally nailed a spoof of captain Kirk, she got the campy-ness.

B: Also Spock (Amber Sommerfeld) rocked, and Honey Mahogany is beautiful. I just wanted to stare at her.

K: So true! I think they created an entertaining world. They had fun lighting, and sound effects, the set was cool and the costumes were on-point. Even though they were parodying the show, they did it in professional way that honored what they were making fun of.

B: You can tell that the people who really rocked their characters are totally Trekkies, that’s the only way they could have nailed those roles. The “Stump the Captain” Star Trek trivia game at intermission was not only fun, but showed a true level of devotion to the series. Unless those questions were planted, which I don’t think they were, there’s no way she could know all that trivia without being a fan.

K: Also the Beam Me Up Scotchy was delicious. No problem with meeting the two drink minimum with that, and I don’t even like scotch usually.

B: Overall a fun night of beautiful drag queens, talented drag kings, strong drinks, and lots of Star Trek nerds. What more could you want?

The Verdict: Go see it, it’s a good time. If you like Star Trek, and think campy drag shows are fun, you’ll really enjoy this.

The Drama Talk: Shows at Oasis hold themselves to a high standard for production values and talent, while still not taking themselves so seriously that it loses the fun. This show is a drag-king version of a particularly camping Star Trek episode, so don’t expect any deep earth shattering revelations. But if you’re a Star Trek fan looking for a fun way to spend a chilly rainy night, this is a great option. This is technically the show’s second time around – it opened in September and sold-out that run – this is the encore so tickets may go fast.

The Drinks: Oasis has a great bar, and friendly bar tenders. On the night we went you could stay after the show to drink, and get to see the late-night male-revue after, so if you go on a weekday you may also get so lucky. They had a special menu of Star Trek inspired drinks and the Beam Me Up Scotchy was the clear winner of the bunch.

Star Trek Live!: Mudd’s Women; A Drag Send Up Of The Groundbreaking Sci-Fi Series, runs through January 23rd at Oasis. Tickets on the Oasis website are $25 for general admission, $35 for premium seating, or $225 if you want the The Vulcan Champagne Table which is a front row table for four people with a bottle of Chandon. Right now there are also tickets available on Goldstar for $12.50-$35.

Formerly local comedian Chris Garcia just made a very important sociological breakthrough:

Thanks, Chris!

Now please enjoy some other great Chris Garcia stuff…

Here’s the deal:

As heard on NPR’s This American Life and WTF with Marc Maron, one of San Francisco’s favorite sons returns to record his debut stand up comedy album at the Punch Line.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, CA, Chris Garcia started his comedy career in the San Francisco Bay Area where he was named “A Comic To Watch” by the San Jose Mercury News, “One of the 7 Funniest People in San Francisco” by 7×7 Magazine, and “a Rising Comedic Star” by the SF Weekly. Chris moved back to Los Angeles in the summer of 2012. Since then, he has become a favorite on both the national alternative and comedy club circuits, making memorable appearances on WTF with Marc Maron, NPR’s This American Life and NBC’s Last Call with Carson Daly.

Known for his vivid storytelling style, Garcia draws you into his world through a variety of characters and recollections that are both outrageously absurd and sincerely heartfelt.

This special engagement promises to be an evening not to be missed as Chris records a live album! Don’t miss this opportunity to see a rising comedy star let his guard down in front of a hometown crowd.

“Fearless, funny, and straight from the heart.” – Robin Williams

“Chris Garcia proves you can find humor in anything.” – Marc Maron, WTF podcast

“Chris is the future of comedy.” – Carlos Alazraqui, Reno 911

“Chris is someone who is totally hitting his stride as one of the next big comics.” – David Owen, Co-Founder SF Sketchfest

Buy tickets for Tuesday November 17th
http://www.punchlinecomedyclub.com/events/eventdetail/?viewNav=%2Feventdetail&eventId=1C004F31B7853F7A&oid=18267

Buy tickets for Wednesday Novemeber 18th
http://www.punchlinecomedyclub.com/events/eventdetail/?viewNav=%2Feventdetail&eventId=1C004F31B7893F7C&oid=18268

RSVP and invite your friends!

Wheel of Karaoke sure has come a long way. Way back when it started last year, it was at the Make-Out Room and didn’t expressly involve comedians — and now it’s expanding west to Lost Weekend Video and it expressly involves comedians! The event is a week from today. Here’s the deal:

Everyone loves a great comedian, especially when they know how to cradle the delicate balance of insight and silliness, and there are fewer things in life more enjoyable than watching a group of great comedians gather to riff in-the-moment insults directed at each other.

Wheel of Karaoke West is the only show in San Francisco that involves comedians who sing, tell jokes, and give each other plenty of love taps in the process. In this new edition of the hit show “Wheel of Karaoke”, a new panel of comedians is assembled each month to practice slinging wisecracks both at the audience and each other, all the while remembering why they never cut it as a lead singer in their high school punk band. The format works as follows: each comedian takes a turn to tell their best jokes, then sings a karaoke song while performing a challenge selected by the “Wheel of Fate”. These challenges range from the frustrating, such as singing while upside down, to the absurd, like calling the would-be pop-star’s parents. After all is said and sung, the comedy panel calls forth their weapons of blunt honesty and sardonic wit to make fun of each other, while the audience grabs a drink from the bar, sits back, and lets the bellyaching begin.

July’s show features the following modern-day singing jesters:

Jesse Hett (SF Sketchfest, SJ Improv)

Matt Curry (Laughs Unlimited)

John Gallagher (Savage Henry Comedy Festival)

Aviva Siegel (SF Sketchfest)

Krista Fatka (SF Sketchfest, Redwood Comedy Festival)

and your host Brandon Garner (Wheel of Karaoke, Redwood Comedy Festival)

Enjoy it here in the Mission now, before it gets its own HBO show and moves to Los Angeles!

Oh and Mission Mission readers get a discount on tickets if you use the code MISSIONMISSION (or just use this link). Thanks, Wheel of Karaoke West!

[via Pissed Off Pete's on Facebook]

[via C'mon Pony]

This weekend’s edition of “I’ll Leave You with This” at the Cynic Cave sounds even more special than usual:

Comics will cut out most of their bullshit act and leave you with the joke/jokes they keep closest to their hearts- their closers. Jam packed with their own personal favorites, old faithfuls and maybe even some new tricks, I’ll Leave You With This will teach these comics their ABCs- ALWAYS. BE. CLOSING.

This month we get to welcome some rad out of towners, some Bay Area heavy hitters, a musical duo and even sexy jesus! (and David Gborie and Jane Harrison will make out for your viewing pleasure. Why? YOU’LL HAVE TO COME TO FIND OUT!)

Get advance tickets here.