Fresher Than Ever

Comix's unique Tuesday night stand-up showcase attracting larger audiences and bright talents

Pictured: Dan Naturman

On a visit to new comedy club Comix’s Tuesday night show, Fresh Meat, shortly after the club opened early this fall, the attendance was a bit sparse for the level of talent and quality of the show.

At the most recent Fresh Meat show on December 26, this was far from the case. The club wasn’t completely full, but there was enough of an audience to prevent the whole show from being awkward with comedians trying to play to just a few people.

Stand-up Dan Naturman was the highlight of a show that also featured Best Week Ever regular Liam MacEneaney and short filmmakers Julie Klausner and Adam Mutterperl, all hosted by Catie Lazarus, who runs this series.

Naturman, who’s shone on Last Comic Standing even though he didn’t win the competition, showed why he won acclaim from judges Drew Carey and Brett Butler on that show. His material is a good match for his caustic personality, and he mixes it well with a little audience interaction -- but not too much of that -- he isn’t reliant on it.

A stand-up comedian can become great if they have material that is original because it presents the familiar subjects in a way the audience never thought of. Naturman does this completely. Just to give one example, without recounting too much of his act, he recalls starting college, moving into the dorm, and his father talking to him about all the pretty co-eds they’re seeing, and that he wants to give his son something. He asks dad if that’s condoms, and dad says, “No, I got you some anti-depressants.” Naturman’s travails continue in his act.

While Naturman had the most time in the show, he deserved it. MacEneaney is amusing but doesn’t have as much energy. Klausner’s film, parodying tourist videos about NYC, took a skewed view of things, like thinking a peep show storefront was selling marshmallow peeps.

All in all, Fresh Meat appears to be climbing upward, and next month’s guests (including author David Rakoff, and Best Week Ever panelist Jessie Klein) are on a still higher level.