Usually the setting for a stand-up comedy show at a club involves a dimly lit stage, people sitting at tables or in their chairs, the comedian relaying their material and if all goes well the room is filled with laughter. Now take that setting and put it in a hot dog joint. Seems kind of weird, right? Well, Worcester comic Shaun Connolly did just that and pulled it off at George’s Coney Island on 158 Southbridge St. In turn, his performance became an album titled "Hot Dog," which was released on Oct. 16. It’s Connolly’s debut record and it’s awfully fitting that it was made in a unique way, as the best comedy is often unconventional.
The album title comes from a monthly show Connolly has been doing at the establishment for the past five years under the same name. It takes place once a month on a Thursday and it was quite the local hit until COVID-19 came and shut everything down back in March.
“To tell you the truth, I have no idea how I secured a comedy show there,” Connolly says on how he got this peculiar gig. “I can’t give you the exact reason. I don’t know why Kathy Tsandikos, who runs the place, decided that it was OK, but she’s let the guys who work behind the counter put on punk shows there from time to time. I talked to those guys about how they convinced her to do it and I pitched her the idea and they would even stay open an extra hour when the shows were happening. When I told her that I wanted to record my album at her place, she was thrilled. She was so pumped at the time and now she’s so bummed that we can’t have a party at George’s for the release.”
The album was recorded by Bryan O’Donnell and WOOtenanny Productions, which also puts on the WOOtenanny Comedy Festival, of which Connelly is co-producer. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, the festival wasn’t able to happen back in September, but O’Donnell and Connolly do plan on doing online shows in the near future.
“We had to cancel, there was nothing we could really do,” he says. “Comedy needs very specific parameters to happen and we couldn’t find anything close to that. I guess we could have tried to secure an outdoor venue and make sure that everyone’s spaced out, but it’s a lot to just try to get through this pandemic as a human let alone as a show producer and festival runner. That’s why we decided to cancel, but since we’re going to be locked down for a little while longer during the upcoming winter, we are going to start producing comedy shows online via Twitch, YouTube and our Facebook page once a week.”
For his future in comedy, Connolly plans on utilizing virtual performances as much as he can to keep his talents fresh. He’s also performed at some socially distanced outdoor gigs, but he knows those types of shows will be getting scarce once the frigid weather comes.
“The Comedy Studio in Somerville puts on online shows every week and I’ve done some shows for them, I got another one coming up there on November 21,” he said. “Those shows are great, it’s good to flex that muscle of performing, even if it’s in your living room and you’re yelling at your computer. I’ve performed a few outdoor shows at The WooHaHa Comedy Club on 50 Franklin Street a couple of times too and they were fun, the people there did a great job of putting everything on and making you feel safe. It’s gonna start to get really cold so there’s going to be no way we could perform outside.”
To purchase and stream "Hot Dog," log on to Connolly’s Bandcamp page at shaunconnolly.bandcamp.com. If you’re looking to check out WOOtenanny’s online shows when they’re announced, keep tabs on the festival’s website at wootenanny.com.
The Link LonkNovember 12, 2020 at 05:06PM
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Shaun Connolly brings laughs and all the fix-ins with ‘Hot Dog’ - Worcester Mag
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