New Year’s Eve comedy across the state
Laughter just may be the best medicine as New Hampshire and the rest of the world lurch into 2022, evidenced by the number of standup comedy shows on tap for New Year’s Eve. No fewer than eight events are scheduled, from marquee shows at Manchester’s Rex Theatre and The Flying Monkey in Plymouth, to clubs, movie houses and all manner in between.
Start with the big names. A Seacoast mainstay moves to Manchester for 2021’s final night, though Juston McKinney – A Year in Review will have a four-day run at Portsmouth’s Music Hall from Dec. 26 to Dec. 29. Along with his New Year’s Eve Rex Theatre appearance, McKinney has a New Year’s Day show slated. Up north, comedian Bob Marley does three shows at Plymouth’s Flying Monkey, in what’s becoming an end of year tradition for the Maine funny man.
Similarly venerable is the annual bash at the Sheraton Harborside in Portsmouth, now in its 12th year. Presented by Live Free or Die Laughing, an early and a late show stars Mark Riley, with support from Ryan Gartley and Steve Scarfo. In Manchester a showcase with Dave Rattigan, Chris Cameron, E.J. Murphy and Casey Crawford precedes a New Year’s party with a live band.
The rest of the night belongs to New England King of Comedy Rob Steen, whose Headliners franchise is offering no fewer than five standup showcases, along with a pair of dueling pianos events. Three are gala events, capped with DJ dancing and midnight toasts, preceded by dinner and laughs.
The biggest of the bunch is at their Manchester flagship location. It stars Robbie Printz, Tim McKeever and Tom Spohn; Steen will host. It’s a Roaring Twenties, Great Gatsby themed event. Attendees are encouraged to dress accordingly, and for those wanting an extra touch, fedoras will be provided for the guys, with feathered headbands available for women.
Making the show happen meant clearing a few hurdles.
“We were supposed to start back up a year ago, but they had no staff,” Steen said by phone recently; a planned summer 2021 reopening was also delayed. “We opened soft the first week of November, in the small room…. Dec. 11 was our first night in the comedy club.”
Safety is a watchword, Steen continued.
“Every customer that buys a ticket has to call me for seating, and the first thing I ask them is, ‘How do you feel about going — are you comfortable?’ We’re only doing 500 people, not 1,000 like in the past, so it’s not going to be jammed.” As for masking and vaccination protocols, “we’re following the guidelines.”
Low capacity requirements this year have led to one event already selling out, a show with Mike Donovan and Amy Tee at Concord’s Holiday Inn. The final gala is up in the Lakes Region, at the Wolfeboro Inn, with Boston funny man Mike Bain and Jody Sloane, who parlayed her talents as a Duck Tour guide into a standup career.
If all the galas sell out, customers can redirect to two shows each at Chunky’s Cinema in Manchester, where Joe Yannetty, Joey Carroll and Mark Scalia perform, or the moviehouse and pub’s location in Nashua, where Matt Barry, James Dorsey and Greg Boggis hold forth. Each location also offers a 10 p.m. Dueling Pianos show to ring in the new year.
Though there are a lot of options for comedy fans this year, Steen doesn’t expect a plethora of choices to impact his efforts. In fact, he’s prepared for more than a few patrons to double dip in the fun, and head to one of his late shows after seeing an early one.
“One thing feeds the other,” he said. “People will tell me, ‘you’ve got too much competition,’ but in a way we’re all working together. I’m having one of the better years I’ve ever had in 2021, because people are dying to get out.”
New Year’s Eve comedy shows
Who: Juston McKinney’s Year In Review
Where: Rex Theatre, 23 Amherst St., Manchester, 8 p.m. (also Jan. 1)
Tickets: $35 at palacetheatre.org
Who: Bob Marley
Where: Flying Monkey Movie House, 39 Main St., Plymouth
Tickets: $46.50 and up at flyingmonkeynh.com (shows at 2, 5:30 and 8 p.m.)
Who: Dave Rattigan, Chris Cameron, E.J. Murphy and Casey Crawford
Where: Murphy’s Taproom, 494 Elm St., Manchester, 8 p.m.
Tickets: $22 at scampscomedy.com
Who: Mark Riley, Ryan Gartley, Steve Scarfo
Where: Sheraton Harborside Hotel, 250 Market St., Portsmouth, 8:30 and 10:30 p.m.
Tickets: $28 and $38 at livefreeordielaughing.com
Who: Robbie Printz, Rob Steen, Tim McKeever, Tom Spohn
Where: Headliners at the DoubleTree, 700 Elm St., Manchester, 8 p.m.
Tickets: $35 and up at headlinersnh.com
Who: Mike Donovan, Amy Tee
Where: Holiday Inn, 172 N. Main St., Concord, 8 p.m.
Tickets: SOLD OUT
Who: Matt Barry, James Dorsey & Greg Boggis
Where: Chunky’s Cinema Pub, 151 Coliseum Ave., Nashua, 7 and 10 p.m.
Tickets: $30 at headlinersnh.com
Who: Joe Yannetty, Joey Carroll & Mark Scalia
Where: Chunky’s Cinema, 707 Huse Road, Manchester, 7 and 10 p.m.
Tickets: $30 at headlinersnh.com
Who: Mike Bain & Jody Sloane
Where: Wolfeboro Inn, 90 N. Main St., Wolfeboro, 8 p.m.
Tickets: $369 per couple (room, dinner and show) $169 per couple (dinner and show) at headlinersnh.com
Featured photo: Robbie Printz. Courtesy photo.
