BOCA RATON – For a comic, timing is everything.
Punch the right word at the wrong time and an entire bit can fall flat.
Prior to Wednesday’s performance at the Sadman Speakeasy Comedy Lounge, headliner Greg Hahn fixated on timing – but not in the traditional comedic sense.
Rather than concerning himself with the flow of his jokes, Hahn focused on the watch ticking disfunctionally on his wrist.
“This watch tells me exactly what time it was,” said Hahn, raising his wrist to show off the watch.
The watch, newly purchased, had already run out of time. The watch company shipped Hahn a replacement, but sent to it his residence in California. With Hahn in South Florida, no one would be home to receive the package.
Before taking the stage, Hahn fervently tried to re-route the shipping to South Florida, where he’ll remain through Thanksgiving.
“They sent me a replacement watch before they even got this watch, which is broken, which tells me they don’t think much of these watches,” Hahn said.
Hahn’s fight with the delivery of time proved unsuccessful, but his timing on stage couldn’t have been more perfect.
Rattling of jokes with the ludicrous efficiency of a machine gun, Hahn kept the nearly full house people at the intimate Sadman Speakeasy – located above Arturo’s Ristorante in Boca Raton – gasping for air in his nearly hour-long performance.
“You have a coronary just watching him,” said fellow comic Jennifer Hellman, who attended the show. “He’s just so original. He’s so funny. He’s so exciting to watch.”
Despite being in his hometown for Thanksgiving, Wednesday marked Hahn’s only scheduled South Florida public performance in November.
Hahn originally expected to be performing at the Lake Park Black Box on Nov. 26 and the Boca Black Box the following night.
“I book as many shows as I can and then the booking agents call me up and tell which ones I can do,” Hahn said.
Hahn said he was told that Wednesday’s show and the scheduled shows at the Black Boxes were too close in proximity and timing, and bookers wouldn’t allow him to perform at the Sadman Speakeasy and the Black Boxes.
Randy Singer, owner of the Black Boxes, said a staffing shortage over the Thanksgiving weekend forced the cancellation of the Lake Park show, and the Boca Raton show was double booked. The Boca Black Box’s calendar lists Fred Rubino as the Nov. 27 performer. Lake Park originally listed Hahn as its performer on Nov. 26 but now does not list a show.
The inability to perform at multiple venues in his hometown of Boca Raton disappointed Hahn.
“I think you should be able to do both places,” Hahn said. “They are both completely different. This is a small intimate place, that is a big theater out west.”
The Black Box’s loss proved to be the Sadman Speakeasy’s gain.
“I’m just happy that we are able to have him here tonight,” show producer David Sadman of Sadman Comedy Productions said. “There are things that happened in the community. We want to be a positive part of this community with everybody. We are looking to help grow South Florida in general with quality live comedy. We’re just trying to do our part and we’re just fortunate to have him here with us tonight.”
The timing of the cancellations actually worked out well for Hahn. With unexpected open dates, he picked up a corporate show in Pittsburgh that would have conflicted with Black Box plans.
Hahn also added a private gig in Boca Raton through Sadman Comedy Productions the night before Thanksgiving.
“That’s a top secret gig,” Hahn joked.
And both Hahn and Singer expressed interest in rescheduling the canceled November dates.
“Hopefully we’ll get it back and play all clubs in a little while,” Hahn said.
