DELRAY BEACH – Zach McGovern’s rapid rise within the Delray Beach comedy scene surpassed another milestone on Monday with his South Florida headlining debut.
“First time we’ve seen Zach and he crushed it,” said event host Mike Cintron. “In Delray, you’ve got to bring it. He brought it and it was an awesome show.”
The monthly comedy shows at Atlantic Avenue’s Tin Roof have quickly become must-attend events. But an audience transition from a Motown cover band early in the night to those interested in the comedy show challenged the early comics.
McGovern, who had previously performed at Tin Roof as a feature, admitted to being a little concerned before taking the stage. It didn’t take long for McGovern to capture the crowd.
“I just expected it would be like pulling teeth the whole time,” McGovern said. “It turned out to be great. I’m on the after-show high right now. I feel fantastic.”
McGovern hadn’t headlined a show since before the current pandemic struck, yet he rolled through 40 minutes with ease.
“They gave me the light and I was like, sh*t, I want to go more, more and more,” McGovern said. “This was fun.”
A New York-based comic, McGovern’s been spending and increasing amount of time in South Florida because northern clubs have yet to re-open from their COVID 19-induced shutdowns.
He’ll perform on Tuesday at Delray’s Bull Bar and Wednesday at Gatsby’s in Fort Lauderdale before returning to New York. He’s hoping the norther clubs will re-open soon.
“In the meantime I’m going to be coming down to South Florida and doing as much comedy as I can,” McGovern said. “The audiences are great down here. Comics are great. Producers are great. It’s a great time.”
APPLAUSE BREAK-DOWN
VENUE: Tin Roof, Delray Beach (Jan. 25, 2021)
LINEUP
Mike Cintron (Host)
Drew Illa
Jason Rogers (Drop In)
Danny Braff
Nadeem Awad (Drop In)
Paul Faravhar (Feature)
Zach McGovern (Headliner)
SHOW HIGHLIGHT
One table at the front of the stage distracted comics all night. When the most boisterous of the girls announced she was an independent woman, McGovern asked how old she was. When she responded ”22,” McGovern retorted, “You’re not an independent woman. You can’t even rent a car.” The audience roared.
BE OUR GUEST
Rogers, a Los Angeles-based comic, was a surprise addition to the show, delivering a strong eight minutes. The bit where he poked fun at racial differences by turning them into food jokes had the crowd rolling. “This is a good room to grow in because you’ve got to keep them engaged,” Rogers said. …Like many comics, Awad had to battle the rude table at the front of the stage. He is working on a new bit about yoga classes and psychedelic mushrooms. …Faravhar opened with the benefits of having already contracted COVID, which sounded liberating. …Braff delivered an exhaustive list of Costco jokes, pounding the punchline repeatedly in an attempt to ensure the audience understood the joke. …Illa overcame the tough early crowd with his easy delivery, and his reason for not registering to vote has merit. …The 5-foot tall Cintron entertained with the pitfalls of dating tall women.
WORKING THE ROOM
As noted earlier, a transitioning crowd presented a challenge for many of the comics, and the table up front wouldn’t shut up even after comics directly asked them to do so. Faravhar eventually moved the chair that was on stage to the front – directly in front of the loudest offender – so that he couldn’t see her.
COMICS’ TABLE
Comics Jimmy Shubert, Bruce Smirnoff, David Sadman of Sadman Comedy Productions and Chad Ridgely stopped in to see the show. …Shubert is playing Side Splitters in Tampa on Feb. 4 before heading to Rhode Island for a series of Valentine’s Day weekend shows. …Awad will serve as the feature comic for all five of Steve Trevino’s shows at the Palm Beach Improv from Feb. 4-6. …Rogers has been added to Wednesday’s Turtle Tavern show and will perform along with Cintron at the Black Flamingo in Pompano Beach on Sunday. …Cintron is also launching an open mic at the Black Flamingo that will run every Thursday except the first Thursday of the month. …Ridgley will perform as part of the Feb. 28 show at Monroe’s Red Light in West Palm Beach.
ONE LINER
“Great lineup. The crowd in the beginning was a little loud but they got into it. It was amazing.” – Cintron
