By Carol Fisher-Linn
The National Comedy Center, the nation’s official cultural institution dedicated to the art of comedy, will present acclaimed comedian Paul Morrissey – performing on stage in Jamestown, NY — as he records his new comedy album in front of a live audience. “An Evening of Comedy with Paul Morrissey: ICE CREAM VS EVERYTHING” on March 24 and 25.
The Center, located in Jamestown NY near Lucille Ball’s hometown of Celeron, is also a museum dedicated to preserving the heritage of comedy for future generations, thanks to Lucy’s wishes. Following is a short list of National Comedy Center accolades: June 2019, named one of the “100 Reasons to Love America” by People Magazine. August 2019, named one of the “World’s Greatest Places” – one of “100 new and newly noteworthy destinations to experience right now” and one of only nine attractions to visit in the United States by TIME Magazine. January 2019, named by USA Today 10Best as a “Best New Attraction” in the country, ranking #2 out of 20 new attractions, and chosen as the #1 museum and #1 ticketed attraction. September 2018, Condé Nast Traveler said NCC is “One of the best museums in the country.”
I tell you about the huge significance of the venue so you appreciate the prominence of those who are invited to perform there. This month, performing on the same stage that has featured great talents like Amy Schumer, Lily Tomlin, Dan Akroyd and more, Jamestown and the Comedy Center are excited to welcome funny man Paul Morrisey for a repeat performance, this one with a twist. Paul will be performing for an audience which will be live recorded. Just think, members of the audience will be a part of comedy history!
Morrisey lives in L.A. now, but he hails from Owego, NY, the birthplace of John D. Rockefeller and astronaut Doug Hurley. He grew up with the sound of basketballs being dribbled on a court and naturally played (point) all through high school and college at Binghamton U and SUNY Cortland. His affinity for sports landed him a television sports anchor/news reporter job. Discovering his talent for making people laugh, his next stop was comedy clubs all over the US and Canada. Before long, he was on the Late, Late show with Craig Ferguson in 2006, leading to four appearances in a total of sixteen months. In July 2014, Morrisey made his debut on Dave Letterman’s The Late Show to stellar reviews.
Morrisons’ style is “clean comedy”. He told us this about that: “When I started stand up, I was still a TV sports anchor for ABC, so I didn’t want to do any dirty, or offensive jokes to get me fired! But I quickly learned that I was pretty good at writing jokes about food and other human activities that didn’t necessarily involve swearing or being offensive or shocking the audience. I was getting genuine laughs off of everyday things.” (Yep, even soup and melatonin.)
He’s relatable (and single) – an Everyman. Says he: “I have traveled the world and tried to perform for almost any audience.” (He was in Maui when we finally connected for this interview.) “I am genuinely curious and excited that something I wrote in a basement in upstate NY – made people laugh in places like Switzerland, Vietnam and Iraq.”
Morrisey can’t wait to get back to Jamestown: “I definitely will be talking about Jamestown and some of the great stories and fun memories I have from doing the Lucy Fest with so many great people … Jamestown itself has a special spot for me because I was there before the Comedy Center was finished – and so I feel like this weekend of shows for me and seeing the Comedy Center finished is a celebration of sorts and will give me a big sense of pride and visible evidence of how far things have come.”
When asked if he knew our own Ellicottville born comedian celeb, Brian Dunkleman, Morrisey responded, “I have crossed paths with Brian at The Improv doing sets … but I didn’t realize he was from upstate.” Small world.
Morrissey will perform four shows at the Lucy Desi Museum’s Tropicana Room, 2 W 3rd St, Jamestown, NY 14701 716.484.0800 Friday, March 24 and Saturday, March 25 at 7pm and 9pm. Tickets: ComedyCenter.org/events.