Five Still Standing!

As announced at the conclusion of a triumphant return to Mt. Baker Theatre in Bellingham before 1,200 enthusiastic fans, the finalists are:

Ola Dada. Vancouver. Coming from Nigeria to the Alberta outback, dubious relatives, curious schoolmates and the weather made a comedian from a life or death situation.

Jess Everett. Tacoma. Cut from different cloth, Jess is appalled by many of the things people generally tend to like. Despite it all, he wins over a crowd with his unique perspective.

John Gardner. Seattle. Reflecting on his upper middle class existence and The Privilege it provides, John parodies the worst criticism of the class conscious.

Dylan Jenkins. Portland. With an incisive eye into the nuances of hard pressed younger generations, Dylan educates his audience as they laugh at his take.

Brittany Lyseng. Calgary. Confused by her body and lifestyle, affected by her working class upbringing, Brittany brilliantly mines the experience for its hidden humor.

Finals start with a private show at the Washington Athletic Club where contestants will have a chance to tune up their 15-minute sets before facing the public. The night before Thanksgiving is a sure sell-out at Vashon Theater where acts will be well advised not to complain about the limited access to the island.

The night after Thanksgiving the show will be at Meydenbauer Theater in Bellevue. This date had perennially sold out at the nearby Kirkland Performance Center but got its walking papers from there when the powers that be decided to shut down over the holiday weekend.

The Meydenbauer provides a suitable alternative but the lack of a daily newspaper in Bellevue has made it difficult to get the word out. Surprisingly, seats are still available.

Saturday night of Thanksgiving Weekend finds the event at the wonderful Lincoln Theater in Mt. Vernon. Then it’s back home for the last show at Laughs Comedy Club in the U district where your humble correspondent looks forward to falling off the wagon after all is said and done.