Originally published in The Marietta Times, January 28, 2016
By Brittany Landers – The Marietta Times
Triple-threat Paula Poundstone, an American stand-up comedian, author and actress, will be performing Feb. 13 at the Peoples Bank Theatre.
Best known for her observational, “everyday” humor, Poundstone’s comedic sets often involve audience member participation and a sense of spontaneity with “no two sets ever being the same.”
The Peoples Bank Theatre crowd can expect this as well as witty banter about the comedian’s life, she said in a phone interview this week.
“I talk about raising a house full of kids and animals and trying to pay attention to the news enough to cast a halfway decent vote,” said Poundstone of her set, which she deemed appropriate for most age groups.
Peoples Bank Theatre is hosting Poundstone from 8 to 9:30 p.m. the night before Valentine’s Day, with ticket prices available now for purchase, either online through the Peoples Bank Theatre website or at the box office located at 222 Putnam St. Single ticket prices range from $20 to $30.
“Ticket sales have been brisk… so far this season it has been one of our best sellers,” said Drew Tanner, marketing director for the theater. Poundstone, who has had a 35-plus-year career in the entertainment industry, has worked alongside other hilarious women like Joan Rivers and Caroline Rhea. In the ’90s, she was a correspondent on The Tonight Show and The Rosie O’Donnell Show and appeared on Hollywood Squares, among other TV appearances.
Fact Box
If you go
- Comedian Paula Poundstone is set to perform Feb. 13 at Peoples Bank Theatre.
- The acclaimed comic will entertain from 8 to 9:30 p.m.
- Tickets are available now at the box office or online at the Peoples Bank Theatre website.
- Ticket prices range from $20 to $30.
- Peoples Bank Theatre is located at 222 Putnam St. in Marietta.
She has also had a slew of one-hour HBO comedy specials. Named one of Comedy Central’s “Top 100 Greatest Standups of All Time,” Poundstone has most recently done voice over work for the animated film “Inside Out.” She presently partakes in NPR’s “Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me,” an international weekly news quiz show that has a huge following and has won both a Peabody Award and Webby Award for humor.
The comedian likens her stand-up set to her highly-improvised commentator role on the NPR podcast.
“They allow me to say whatever I want…the panelists are unscripted, so it’s perfect for me,” she said. “There is a lot of freedom on that show. People that listen come up to me in the street and tell me they enjoy the ‘free for all’ quality of it, which makes me happy.”
Poundstone added that her jokes are written organically, often inspired by doing her mundane, motherly duties.
“I have a very common life. I try to take care of my kids, pay the bills, put recycling in the right bin on the right day. My desk is full of little pieces of paper with ideas scratched on them. Now if only I could remember why I found those words funny in the first place like ‘latex gloves,'” she said.
Renowned yet relatable, this funny lady will be one act not to miss when she makes a one-night only stop in Marietta as part of her ongoing tour.
“We had a feeling her type of comedy would be well-received here,” shared Tanner. “Also, her frequent role on ‘Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me’ has local ties with an NPR affiliate, WOUB radio in Athens. The theater is actually doing a ticket giveaway in partnership with WOUB. She was a natural selection.”