Author: richtola

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Flappers on July 23rd & the Burbank Comedy Festival

Great show last week and I’m now getting ready for this Thursday’s show at Flappers Comedy Club in Burbank, 10p in the Main Room.

And here’s some more exciting news…I was accepted into the 2nd Annual Burbank Comedy Festival the week of August 16th – 22nd! Performance dates are 8/20 at 4p and 8/21 at 7:30p.

burbankcomedyfestival

With each performance a Stand-up comedian experiences an epiphany, i.e., a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something. Pretty heavy stuff, I know, but each time I learn something different about myself and my material. And what’s great about performing is that there are no bad performances, just enlightening ones. Whether I bomb or kill-it, it’s a win-win all around.

Kinda like practicing Yoga…every time you hit the mat you evolve your mind, body and soul. At the very least you make progress with your practice, or as I like to call, move up another rung on the ladder of life. Because no matter what you’re trying to master, the overall journey is more important than the individual occurrences along the way.

Have an awesome week everyone and hope to see you Thursday at Flappers! Peace – R

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Next Performance at Flappers Comedy Club – July 7th

Rich Tola performing at the Tribal Cafe
Rich Tola performing at the Tribal Cafe (LA)

Hey everyone, hope you’re having a great weekend and looking forward to the 4th of July!

Had a blast at the Father’s Day show and getting ready for next week’s show at Flappers Comedy Club in Burbank on Tuesday, July 7th from 10-11:30p in the Main Room. Come celebrate your Independence Day in true New York style, i.e., make it last 3 days.

As the great comedian, Louie Anderson said, “It takes about 100 performances (Stand-up) to even know if you’re good”. About a dozen and counting Louie!

Peace – R

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Eat, Drink & Laugh…Father’s Day Show at Flappers

The great Roseanne Barr once said, “Stand-up is my therapy…I’m just really pissed off!”

flappersFollowing suit with the “working-class domestic goddess” (perhaps not as pissed off), my new material for this Sunday’s show at Flappers Comedy Club will include jokes about Wall Street, sobriety, Yoga, homeless people, marriage and some recent news that’s ripe for the Get Your Shit Together Award – previously awarded everyday on Tola Talks.

RichTolaStandUpMicPicI’ll be performing 5 minutes and the headliner is Matt Champagne from Will & Grace. Get FREE tickets complimentary of Flappers – for 1 more day – by clicking HERE or this link: http://flc.cc/1GI21qK

Sunday, June 21st, Father’s Day from 9 – 10:30p in the Main Room of Flappers Comedy Club, located at 102 E Magnolia Blvd. Burbank CA, 91502 (easy and free parking across the street at Ashley Furniture).

Hope to see you there!  – R

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Practice Makes Perfect…Otherwise Hit the Gym

Another show under my belt and another reason to go back to the drawing board. Because practice makes perfect, or at the very least, gives you the opportunity to evolve whatever you’re doing. If that’s not working, then hit the gym and get your workout in…that always helps!

Rich Tola at Flappers Comedy Club
Rich Tola at Flappers Comedy Club – May ’15

This past weekend  I performed again at Flappers Comedy Club in Burbank, CA and tried all new material that was funnier than my previous show – that’s a good thing! Because with stand-up comedy it’s all about delivering your jokes with as few words as possible and with as much attitude as possible, then refining them soon thereafter to get them to work. And for those jokes that are already working, i.e., everyone’s laughing hysterically, then don’t change a thing. So they say…whoever “they” is.

Either way the key is to keep improving your stand-up comedy act to one that flows seamlessly and effortlessly while you’re simply having a conversation with the audience. Something I’m progressing with, a task much easier said then done.

Hope to see you at my next Flappers show on Father’s Day, June 21st in the Main Room.  – R

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Pitch Perfect 2 Rocks + Next Stand-up at Flappers

What’s funny, sexy and exhilarating, that makes you wanna get up and dance?

Pitch Perfect 2.pitchperfect-2

And if you’re not into musicals or sequels, it really doesn’t matter – go see this film. With an amazing cast led by Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Hailee Steinfeld, Brittany Snow, Katy Sagal, Elizabeth Banks and John Michael Higgins (who are great together), you’ll be laughing and be-bopping for at least 2 hours.

You already know I’m a big Anna Kendrick fan, but I wasn’t planning on seeing this film in the theaters until my soon-to-be 16 year-old niece said she loved it. And since I’m always intrigued when movie-goers of any age tell me they love a film…I went and loved it too. With so many great actors and so many great one-liners (no kidding, they’re great), this cool hipster musical touches the soul and makes you really wanna get up in the aisles and dance!

Kudos to Elizabeth Banks on her directorial debut. Excellent job Elizabeth, plus you’re charming, sexy, witty, ditzy and wonderful as the no-holds barred announcer, Gail. I liked Pitch Perfect 2 so much that if I were reviewing it on Tola Talks, I’d give it 2 thumbs (out of 3).

flappersstageLike I said, go see this film and bring your teenagers, it’s PG-13. And for some really good live comedy this week-end, come check-out my Stand-up show this Saturday, May 23rd from 7:30-9p in the YooHoo Room at Flappers Comedy Club in Burbank. CA. It’s gonna be a blast!

P.S. Don’t leave the movie theater until the credits have rolled or you’ll miss Christina Aguilera and the gang from The Voice.

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Stand-up in the East Village NYC & next show in LA

eastvillecomedy clubHappy Cinco de Mayo everyone…hope you’re having an awesome day!

I’m looking forward to returning to NYC next week and will be performing at the EastVille Comedy Club on 85 E. 4th Street next Tuesday, May 12th starting at 6p.  My next LA show will be at Flappers Comedy Club in Burbank on Saturday, May 23rd from 7:30-9p in the YooHoo Room.

Good stuff all around as I continue to write new Stand-up material and learn that just because you have a great Topic and a Premise, doesn’t mean you’ll have a great joke. Thus the need to keep re-working your material again and again, once you’ve tried it in public.

Like I did at my recent Flappers show on April 24th. It’s always a rush when you get when you get up on stage, plus you learn a lot about what jokes are working as well as get accustomed to both hot and cold audiences. Quite a journey, and one that gets better with each performance.

Keep believing you can & sit tall in the saddle. And don’t forget your daily workout! Peace – R

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Next Stand-Up at Flappers Comedy Club on April 24th

flappersStand-up comedy is the most condensed form of all comedy, and for the really good comics, it’s simply a conversation with the audience. A really funny one at that.

Over the past six weeks and on the heels of our 150th episode of Tola Talks, I’ve been studying this rather frightening art form – for most entertainers, that’s for sure – and honed my skills at writing stand-up as well as performing in front of a large crowd…twice at Flappers Comedy Club in Burbank, CA. On my first attempt I “didn’t bomb” as one friend so eloquently put it. On my second attempt I definitely heard some roaring laughter and felt the exhilarating rush comics feel when the room gets going. I can see how stand-up comedy can be frighteningly addicting. Albeit, very challenging, to say the least.

With concepts like attitude, topic, premise, act-out, mix, turn, set-up, and punch, not to mention there’s no one up on stage to help you do anything, stand-up is hard. Whatever that means. But it’s also super gratifying when you get it right, i.,e, make people laugh. Or as legend Whoopi Goldberg once said, make them laugh and think. Because good comedy is not just funny, it’s also insightful about something everyone can relate to. Or should be, if you want laughs.

They say the third time’s the charm, so come check me out next Friday, April 24th at Flappers Comedy Club in Burbank – we’re in the YooHoo Room from 9:30-11p. Should be a blast! – R

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Tola Talks the Finale (for now), Louis C.K. & Black Sails

After 150 shows, Tola Talks is sailing off into the sunset just like the cast of the Starz original, Black Sails. Well, not exactly, but check-out our finale (for now), plus a few quick stories about Louis C.K., the new Ford Lincoln Continental, Americans making, saving and spending less, and the new host of Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show, South African stand-up comedian, Trevor Noah.

Watch on youtube.com/tolatalks