Those in need of a mid-week laugh and a break from studying for mid-terms can go to Little Willie’s Tuesday night at 9 p.m. and join the stand-up comedians of ComicKaze.
The ComicKaze comedians, whose shows first began in Birmingham, have been traveling to Tuscaloosa for about two and a half years, said Mario Carreras, emcee of the Tuscaloosa ComicKaze shows.
“We wanted to hit a college audience and do our routines for younger people more similar to ourselves,” he said. “We also wanted to build the Tuscaloosa comedy scene like we helped in building the Birmingham comedy scene. Lately, a lot more Tuscaloosa comedians have been coming out, which is great.”
Nathan Trapp, a senior majoring in anthropology, is one of these local comedians. He heard about the ComicKaze open-mic nights while listening to the radio and decided to join shortly thereafter, in January. He has been performing routines with them ever since.
“It sounded like a cool thing to do. I’m usually a shy person, but being in front of an audience somehow makes it easier,” he said. “It’s great when you get a laugh.”
Other comedians, like Martin Morrow, performed at the Birmingham ComicKaze shows before coming to Tuscaloosa. Morrow has been doing comedy for about four years and has also performed in Auburn, Atlanta and New York.
“I’ve always been the funny friend, the one that cracks jokes to get out of awkward situations,” Morrow said. “When Mario told me about his idea to bring ComicKaze to Tuscaloosa, I jumped on the bandwagon, and it’s been great. There’s something different about the Tuscaloosa crowd that’s not typical of college crowds. It’s always big, and it’s always fun.”
Most of Morrow’s comedy routines are about his experience in Alabama, an idea he came up with while he was in New York.
“New Yorkers don’t want to hear about life in New York. They want to hear about where you’re from, so I talked about being from Alabama,” he said.
He also incorporates his love for comics, movies and music into his routines, and they usually involve the interactions between people.
Last month, for instance, Morrow was the referee for the ComicKaze face-off, where comics would insult each other by coming up with jokes on the spot, he said. Whoever “cracked” by looking away or laughing would lose the face-off.
“I like to get a laugh out of everything,” he said.
For a fun night full of laughter-inducing jokes, the comedians of ComicKaze say that Little Willie’s is the place to be on Tuesday night.
Anyone interested in participating in future shows is encouraged to see emcee Mario Carreras before or after the show. The event starts at 9 p.m. and is free to attend.
If You Go
What: Comickaze
Where: Little Willie’s
When: Tuesday at 9 p.m.
Cost: Free
