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Monday July 29th, 2002
Gibson Bluegrass Showcase launches comedy series
Gabe Kaplan, J. Anthony Brown, Williams and Ree and Elayne Boosler scheduled to appear
The Gibson Bluegrass Showcase is breaking new ground with its first-ever comedy series featuring some of the top comedians in the entertainment industry. The line-up, announced today, features Gabe Kaplan August 23 and 24, J. Anthony Brown September 27 & 28, Williams and Ree October 18 & 19 and Elayne Boosler November 8 & 9. All shows are Friday and Saturday, with two shows nightly at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
Kaplan, best known for his role as the teacher in the hit TV sitcom "Welcome Back Kotter," kicks off the fun on August 23. After high school, the Brooklyn native's dream was to make it in major league baseball, but after rejections in the minor leagues Kaplan took a job as a bellman at New Jersey hotel. The hotel featured stand-up comedians, and after several months of watching the different acts, he decided to try his hand at comedy. Kaplan began performing on the nightclub circuit, and his first big break came in the seventies appearing on The Tonight Show. He was a big hit, and that led to routine appearances on variety shows nationwide. Kaplan then created a situation comedy based on his high school class, and "Welcome Back Kotter" was born. The show was a top 10 program for four seasons on ABC. Since his role as Kotter, Kaplan has appeared in movies including "Fast Break," "Nobody's Perfect" and theater productions. In the last year, Kaplan has renewed his interest in comedy, and talks about the Kotter days during his shows. When asked about returning to stand-up comedy Kaplan replies, "Who knows, I haven't given up my dreams to be a baseball player."
August 23 and 24J. Anthony Brown is in the comedy spotlight in Sept. at the Gibson Bluegrass Showcase. Brown has been tickling funny bones around the country for the past 25 years. Today, Brown's humor can be heard five days a week as a co-host on the internationally syndicated Tom Joyner Morning Show on the ABC Radio Network. The Tom Joyner Show is broadcast in 95 national markets including Nashville. His career goal began as a clothing designer, but he came up $316 short of tuition money to enter the school of his choice in Georgia. Brown decided to try his hand at stand-up comedy at an Atlanta nightclub to make some spare cash, and he was such a hit, the club owner invited him back on a regular basis. To date, Brown's resume includes an impressive list of acting, writing and tour credits. In addition, Brown is the recipient of the prestigious Peabody Award and the NAACP Image Award.
September 27 & 28Williams and Ree visit the showcase in October. Bruce Williams and Terry Ree began playing together in a band in South Dakota in 1968, but their humor between songs became a bigger draw than their music, and the comedy team was born. This hilarious pair has been entertaining for nearly three decades, and they have developed camaraderie on stage that keeps their acts free and lively from one show to the next. The duo bills themselves "The Indian and the White Guy," but their good-humored jesting appeals to the masses and has made them a perennial favorite all across America. Williams and Ree have shared the stage with some of the biggest entertainers in the world including Garth Brooks, and the pair made their mark in television appearing regularly on The Nashville Network in the 90's. Ree sums it up best saying, "We do songs, we do comedy. Actually, I don't like to label it comedy. I just think we entertain people."
October 18 & 19Rounding out the comedy calendar in November is Elayne Boosler. Boosler is one of the busiest and most popular comedians touring the country today. She was the first young, single, female comic, and she was an instant hit with audiences. Boosler began her career with a fresh slice of life approach to comedy from a woman's point of view, just the way her male counterparts of the time succeeded such as Richard Pryor, David Brenner and Robert Klein. Boosler has been a staple on the talk show circuit, as well as variety shows and she has appeared as the opening act for practically every musical group in America. Boosler appeals to the masses, performing in clubs, 35,000 seat fairs, theaters, rodeos, speedways and festivals. She funded her first special, "Party of One," which aired on Showtime in 1986. People Magazine gave it an 'A,' and the New York Times wrote, "how refreshing, a woman who doesn't have to tear her own skin off for our amusement an attractive human being simply standing there being funny, the first to feel she doesn't have to be grotesque."
November 8 & 9
Tickets for the Gibson Bluegrass Showcase Comedy Series are $20 to $25 per person, per show. Series tickets for all four shows are available as well. To purchase tickets, contact the Showcase at (615) 514-2200 or visit the Showcase at Opry Mills.
The Gibson Bluegrass Showcase is a 35,000 square foot facility located in Opry Mills. The Showcase features a manufacturing facility where Gibson instruments are made daily, a state-of-the-art performance venue, dinner-theatre style seating, a full service bar and a kitchen to cater any size event.
For more information about the Gibson Comedy Series contact Gibson Bluegrass Showcase at (615) 514-2200 x2243 or send us an e-mail.
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