The Chris and Paul Show

Last updated

The Chris and Paul Show is an American sketch comedy duo composed of Christopher John O'Neill and Paul Valenti. They are known for their vaudeville-inspired physical comedy, which consists of largely pantomimed scenes with minimal or no dialogue. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] The duo began performing 1999, and are based in New York City. [1] They have toured across the United States and in Europe. [6] They gained wide exposure in 2019 as contestants on the NBC comedy competition television series Bring the Funny , in which they placed as finalists.

Contents

Early lives

Chris O'Neill is from Stamford, Connecticut. [7] He graduated from Stamford High School, where he performed in school productions, [6] and briefly attended Norwalk Community College before leaving college to pursue comedy full time.[ citation needed ] He performed at the Curtain Call community theater. [6]

Paul Valenti attended Greenwich High School in Greenwich, Connecticut. [4]

Career

O'Neill and Valenti met in 1999 [4] [8] at the theater company Curtain Call in Stamford, [4] where they both attended a class taught by community theater veteran Suzi Lynch, who was quickly impressed with the duo. She taught them comedy by masters such as Jack Benny, Sid Caesar, Carol Burnett, Tim Conway, Laurel and Hardy. She also imparted to them the principle that "To be funny, you don’t have to be dirty," teaching instead that "You just have to be silly. Don’t be afraid to be silly." O'Neill and Valenti refer to Lynch as their "Yoda" for the mentor role that she took on for them, providing feedback on their material and suggestions for improvement. [4] The two men began performing together professionally in 2000. [9]

In 2003 O'Neill and Valenti moved to New York City, [4] [8] renting an apartment on the Upper West Side. They headlined in multiple New York comedy clubs, including The People's Improv Theater (The PIT), Upright Citizen's Brigade, Carolines on Broadway, Comedy Cellar, Stand Up NY, Comic Strip, Comix, The Gotham Comedy Club and Joe's Pub.[ citation needed ]

In 2019, the duo gained wide exposure in 2019 as contestants on the NBC comedy competition television series Bring the Funny , [4] in which they placed as finalists.

Comedy style

The Chris and Paul Show's sketches involve an emphasis on physical comedy and minimal or no dialogue, [2] [4] [5] a style influenced by comedians like Laurel and Hardy, which the Stamford Advocate described as "modern day vaudeville with an edgy, unexpected twist." In one of their sketches, for example, O'Neill and Valenti act out getting into a car as cheerful music plays over what appears to be a pleasant ride. The skit takes a turn when it is revealed that the smiling and cheerful characters are actually on their way to commit a bank robbery, which then leads to a violent police chase. O'Neill said of his comedy, "We like to set it up where the audience likes to think where the sketch is going and then we turn the switch on them." [4]

Reception

The Washington Post 's Jessica Goldstein, commenting on the duo's practice of setting up an idea, only for it to be subverted in the payoff, stated, "'The Chris and Paul Show' is their sensibility distilled to its simplest form: a joke heads in one direction but veers to the left at the last minute, and the sketch snaps shut before the shock fully registers. [9]

Barrie Morgan, reviewing The Chris and Paul Show's performance at the 2011 Edinburgh Fringe Festival for The Skinny , lauded the act, saying that it offers "a unique show of interesting and surprising skits that are both intelligent and hilarious. The show starts slowly but the audience instantly warm to the two Americans. Their comedic dynamic is spot on, and it shows." Morgan called the duo "one of the greatest sketch shows I've ever seen." [1]

Steve Bennett, reviewing the same entry at that festival for Chortle called O'Neill and Valenti "slick, talented and with undoubted funny", comparing them to The Pajama Men. Bennett noted the manner in which their skits gradually establish their premise in judiciously quiet moments, before implementing more manic payoffs that subvert expectations. While Bennett did not believe that the setups were always paced properly, he noted the ones that were, saying, "To call them sketches would seem to demean their unquestionable artistry – builds up the tension so beautifully, then punctures it so hilariously with just two short words, it's one of the best single moments of the Fringe." [2]

Jon Stapley, reviewing a 2012 Edinburgh performance of The Chris and Paul Show for Broadway Baby , lauded the pair, noting that despite the audience tension on account of the performance beginning ten minutes late, "the result was a very different, very funny hour of comedy that quickly won the audience’s affections and left everyone with big grins on their faces." Stapley called The Chris and Paul Show's approach to sketch comedy "novel", praising their "impressive physical comedy chops", and the way in which they incorporate impromptu participation by audience members into their sketches. Although Stapley also criticized the duo for the length of their "long, awkward pauses," and with their ability to end a scene, "the physical talent and originality on display...more than made up for it. Chris and Paul put on a relentlessly unique sketch show and did it very well indeed. A highly entertaining and highly recommended hour of comedy." [5]

Awards

Personal lives

Both O'Neill and Valenti live in Stamford Connecticut as of July 2019. [4] [8]

O'Neill married his longtime girlfriend, Jennifer, in April 2013. He has two daughters, Harper and Hailey. [7]

Related Research Articles

<i>Beyond the Fringe</i> 1960s British comedy revue/play

Beyond the Fringe was a British comedy stage revue written and performed by Alan Bennett, Peter Cook, Jonathan Miller, and Dudley Moore. It debuted at the 1960 Edinburgh Festival and went on to play in London's West End and then in America, both on tour and on New York's Broadway in the early 1960s. Hugely successful, it is widely regarded as seminal to the "satire boom", the rise of satirical comedy in 1960s Britain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comedian</span> Person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh

A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolish, or employing prop comedy. A comedian who addresses an audience directly is called a stand-up comedian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edinburgh Festival Fringe</span> Arts festival

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 different shows in 322 venues. Established in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place in Edinburgh every August. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe has become a world-leading celebration of arts and culture, surpassed only by the Olympics and the World Cup in terms of global ticketed events. As an event it "has done more to place Edinburgh in the forefront of world cities than anything else" according to historian and former chairman of the board, Michael Dale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glenn Wool</span> Canadian stand-up comedian

Glenn Wool is a Canadian stand-up comedian based in England. He has released six albums, including 2020's Viva Forever, produced by Dan Schlissel for Stand Up! Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen K. Amos</span> English comedian

Stephen Kehinde Amos is a British comedian and television personality. A regular on the international comedy circuit, he is known for including his audience members during his shows. He began his career as a compere at the Big Fish comedy clubs in South London, and has been nominated for Chortle's Best Compere Award three times in 2004, 2007 and 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bethany Black</span> English comedian, actress and writer

Bethany Black is an English stand up comedian, actress and writer. As a comedian, Black is described as "managing to balance dark-tinged comedy with being warm and chatty". As an actress, she is the first trans person to play a trans character in a British TV series and also the first openly trans actor in Doctor Who.

Frisky & Mannish is a British musical comedy double act, created and performed by singer Laura Corcoran and pianist-singer Matthew Floyd Jones. Known for their pop music parodies, the duo have toured the fringe festival and comedy festival circuits in the United Kingdom and Australia, and appeared on a number of British television and radio programmes. The act's name derives from two incidental characters mentioned in one couplet of Byron's Don Juan: "Lady Fitz-Frisky, and Miss Maevia Mannish, / Both longed extremely to be sung in Spanish"

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Acaster</span> English comedian (born 1985)

James William Acaster is an English comedian. As well as the stand-up specials Repertoire and Cold Lasagne Hate Myself 1999, he is known for co-hosting the food podcast Off Menu and the panel show Hypothetical. Acaster makes use of fictional characters within his stand-up comedy, which is characterised by frequent callback jokes, offbeat observational comedy and overarching stories. He has won five Chortle Awards, a Just for Laughs Award and International Comedy Festival Awards at Melbourne and New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jayde Adams</span> British actress and singer (born 1984)

Jayde Pricilla Gail Adams is a British comedian, actress, writer and opera singer from Bristol. She is the winner of the 2014 Funny Women Award.

Christopher John O'Neill is a comedian and Broadway actor, best known for playing the role of Elder Arnold Cunningham in the musical The Book of Mormon. While performing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with his two-man traveling comedy act, The Chris and Paul Show, O'Neill was spotted by a casting director and invited to audition for the role of Elder Cunningham. He joined the first national tour as Elder Cunningham in December 2012, his professional acting debut, and in January 2015 he joined the Broadway cast. In 2019, The Chris and Paul Show competed in the NBC comedy competition television series Bring the Funny, making it to the finals of the show's first season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Pin (comedy act)</span> Comedy double-act composed of Ben Ashenden and Alex Owen

The Pin is a comedy double-act composed of Ben Ashenden and Alex Owen. They wrote and starred in a BBC Radio 4 show of the same name from 2015 to 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ivo Graham</span> English stand-up comedian

Ivo Charles Graham is an English stand-up comedian and comedy writer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John-Luke Roberts</span> British stand-up comedian, writer, actor and performer

John-Luke Roberts is a British stand-up comedian, writer, actor and performer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olaf Falafel</span> Comedian and a childrens author

Olaf Falafel is a comedian and a children's author, who illustrates his own books, he is also the creator and presenter of Art Club an online Art channel for kids. He has been a stand-up comedian since 2012 and was also known for making humorous Vines, which he shared on Twitter, and some of which went viral, until uploading of videos from Vine to Twitter was suspended in 2016. His humour frequently involves puns and absurdity. He is a supporter of Luton Town Football Club.

Sarah Keyworth is an English stand-up comedian who began a career in comedy in 2012, eventually going full-time in 2018 after being nominated for Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards. Keyworth has appeared on television comedy shows such as Roast Battle, The Now Show, The Dog Ate My Homework, Mock the Week and 8 Out of 10 Cats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Delightful Sausage</span> Comedy double act

The Delightful Sausage are a comedy double act, created by Amy Gledhill and Christopher Cantrill. In 2019 and 2022 they were nominated for 'Best Show' at the Edinburgh Fringe.

<i>London Hughes: To Catch a D*ck</i> Stand-up routine

London Hughes: To Catch a D*ck is a stand-up routine by the British comedian London Hughes. Largely about sex, Hughes recounts stories about her mother and grandmother having children at a young age, her career as an adult chat host and then a children's presenter, and her sexual experiences.

Emily Jane Lloyd-Saini is a British comedian, actress, broadcaster and writer. She is known for her comedy duo EGG, with Anna Leong Brophy.

Charlie George is a British writer and comedian from Swindon. In 2019, she won "The Comedy Bloomers LGBTQ+ New Comedian of the Year" and was a runner-up in both So You Think You're Funny and Funny Women. As a scriptwriter, she has written for British comedy shows Have I Got News for You, Death to 2020,Death to 2021, Blankety Blank, Joe Lycett's Got Your Back and Frankie Boyle's New World Order.

Greta Titelman is an American comedian, actress and writer. She has starred in shows including Search Party, Los Espookys, and the 2023 film Problemista. In 2019, she was selected for Comedy Central’s “Up Next” Showcase at Clusterfest 2019.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Morgan, Barrie (August 20, 2011). "The Chris and Paul Show". The Skinny .
  2. 1 2 3 Bennett, Steve (August 25, 2011). "Chris And Paul Show". Chortle .
  3. ↑ "THE CHRIS AND PAUL SHOW". Bring the Funny . NBC. Archived from the original on September 20, 2019. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Laguarda, Ignacio (July 8, 2019). "Stamford comedy duo to compete on network show". Stamford Advocate . Stamford, Connecticut. Archived from the original on September 1, 2019. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 Stapley, Jon (August 18, 2012). "The Chris and Paul Show". Broadway Baby .
  6. 1 2 3 Meyers, Joe (January 21, 2015). "Stamford Native Starring in Book of Mormon". Connecticut Post .
  7. 1 2 "Jennifer Sessions, Christopher O'Neill". April 21, 2013. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  8. 1 2 3 "Stamford comedy duo appearing on NBC's new 'Bring the Funny'". New Haven Register . July 8, 2019. Archived from the original on April 16, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  9. 1 2 Goldstein, Jessica (August 2, 2013). "'The Book of Mormon's' O'Neill pinches himself". The Washington Post . Washington, D.C. Archived from the original on March 7, 2018. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  10. ↑ "Independent Pilot Competition". New York Television Festival. September 2011. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.