DANIA BEACH – By week’s end, only about dozen comics will still be vying for the title of Florida’s Funniest.
The final three first rounds of the Florida’s Funniest competition occur this week, beginning with Wednesday’s show at the Dania Improv.
As of Monday, 20 comics, most from South Florida, will take the stage vying for three spots in the semifinals. The following night the competition moves to the Miami Improv with a new set of contestants. The first round concludes on Friday at McCurdy’s in Sarasota.
The Applause Planner is most excited about Wednesday’s show. This will mark the first time the competition’s been held at the year-old Dania Improv.
Carly Dagit, Kevin Javier, Terry Wayne, Cindy-Ann Jane Boisson, Matt Ross, Dan Weiss, Nathan Wallace, Freddy Finnerty, Mag Johnson, Franco Harris, Steve Lamm. Blake Woodrow, Nik Macik,| Charly Esturilho, Josh Francis, Anthony Siciliano, Jonathan Cadette, Kye Saunders, Danny Fallon and Chris Flanagan are scheduled to perform. That’s a strong group of talent for one night.
Of the Miami contestants, veteran Ricky Cruz stands out among a group that includes: Kristen Lugo, Oriel Rodriguez, Lee Smith, Nia Dara, Brett Engle, Randy White, Alex Tarrio, Grant Toliver, Rodney Badger, Luis Diaz, Brax Tinkler, Stephen Ippolito. Shak Zoola, Miami’s Comedian’s Comedian Warmington, Jay Moreno, Willonius Hatcher, Sergio Mendez, Adrien Hernandez, Pedro Rodriguez and Ahmed Awney.
Three winners from each night will join Palm Beach winners Nadeem Awad, John Loveless and Kyle Dahl, along with newly crowned Fort Pierce winners Dan Long and Doug Johnson in the Nov. 10 East Division semifinals at the Dania Improv.
Fort Pierce only produced two winners because the competition was part of a show that included a headliner, Ken Miller. With more time needed for the headliner, organizers limited that field to 12 participants.
It remains possible that a wildcard could be chosen from among the comics who didn’t advance to compete in that semifinal show.
Winners from Friday’s show in Sarasota advance to the Nov. 16 show at the Tampa Improv to compete against winners from Tampa, Orlando and Naples.
The finals are scheduled for Dec. 1 at the Palm Beach Improv.
Tickets for Wednesday’s 8 p.m. show are listed at $5. That’s a lot of comedy for only a little bit of money.
APPLAUSE PLANNER: Plan On It
FRIDAY, OCT. 28 – SUNDAY OCT. 30, 2022
Marlon Wayans – Palm Beach Improv, West Palm Beach
A little more than year after Marlon Wayans headlined the opening weekend at the Dania Improv, he’s returning to South Florida – albeit a little further north. Wayans is an actor, producer, comedian, writer and film director. His films have grossed more than $700-million in domestic box office and $1-billion in global box office. As a standup comedian, he is selling out nationwide and adding shows every weekend. He hit a career milestone with his highly anticipated first-ever stand-up comedy special “Woke-ish” which premiered on Netflix in February of 2018. He’s performing five times over three days, with each early show beginning at 7 p.m. Friday’s and Saturday’s late shows start at 9:45 p.m. General admission ticket prices begin at $40, with VIP seats available.
