Posts Tagged ‘Anna Phillips’

Ladies Night

Thursday, January 29th, 2015
Zabrina Chevannes

Zabrina Chevannes

Last night we finally got a chance to check out the popular “Chicks are Funny” series curated by Anna Phillips. The good news, a few hundred packed the Funny Bone on a cold winter Wednesday; the bad news, the visiting Canadian comics were definitely funnier…just joking.

Overall, the production served up a hardy dose of laughter.

The evening was hosted by Pamela Wertz. The headliner was North America’s funniest nurse, Zabrina Chevannes.

Pamela Wertz

Pamela Wertz

Here’s a brief intro by Toronto-based comic Chrissie Cunningham (who did her first show in Syracuse at Jazz Central a few years ago):

Chrissie Cunningham

Chrissie Cunningham

Annie May

Annie May

Four More Years

Tuesday, August 19th, 2014


Here’s a short interview with comedian Anna Phillips, who recently celebrated four years in the business. In the coming weeks this rising star will open for Jim Norton and also do a gig at Coming Back Together (CBT).

Oblige Your Thirst

Friday, June 27th, 2014
Frackenstein: Taking theater to the streets (and new heights)

Frackenstein: Taking comedy/drama to the streets (and to new heights)

First, we’d like to thank Anna Phillips for reminding us about the Fringe Festival here in town this weekend.  We attended the 2013 festival and saw Anna act out her show ‘Spatial Profiling.’

Fringe seems to be great place catch some innovative art presentations.

Last night we experienced ‘Frackenstein, which was presented along the Connective Corridor, at the Syracuse Stage patio. The one act show envisions a totally fracked future mixing elements of Cirque du Soleil and Mad Max’s Road Warrior, with a small pinch of Laurel and Hardy slapstick.

Frackenstein features Mr. Sticks (played by Steve, who must have been a gymnast in a past life) and Splendito (played by the uber flexible Freddy). The duo provides just enough shock value to keep the audience, and those strolling along East Genesee Street, guessing.

We would have loved to see this type of event take place during SU Homecoming or an ACC Game Day Weekend when it would have just freaked out visitors (in a good way).

Frackenstein will play for the next two nights. If you are in the neighborhood stop by and check it out. You just may become part of the show.

Splendito (played by Freddy) and Mr. Sticks (played by Steve) occupied an open air stage on Syracuse Stage's patio for about an hour on Thursday.

Theater of the Here and Now: Splendito (played by Freddy) and Mr. Sticks (played by Steve) occupied an open air stage on Syracuse Stage’s patio for about an hour on Thursday as part of the 2014 Syracuse Fringe Festival.

In His Own Lane

Saturday, June 7th, 2014
Comic Richie Redding kept the Funny Bone audience in stitches as he touched on current topics, this that and the third.

Comic Richie Redding kept the Funny Bone audience in stitches as he touched on current topics, this that and the third.

On our first visit to the Syracuse Funny Bone Comedy Club we were pleased to meet NYC comic Richie Redding.  Don’t let his Ivy League education fool you, this ten-plus year comedy vet can write a joke that will make you bust your gut.  From his intro shout-out for Butternut Street to subjects such as PMS and music downloads, Redding kept the audience and servers howling with laughter.

Redding was preceded on stage by Dan Frigolette and host Anna Phillips. He will return to NYC for some gigs before heading out to shows in Arizona.

Hopefully he can return soon to Syracuse. For now, most people who saw Redding’s act on Thursday will never look at their thumbs the same again.

To see a previous interview we did with Frigolette, click here. To see a  review of a performance by Anna Phillips last year, click here.

Dan Frigolette at Funny Bone

Dan Frigolette used a zany prop during his show, but it is not included in this photograph.

Fringe Factor

Monday, June 24th, 2013
Fringe Technical Director Gabriel Pinto occupies Saturday night with a sax solo.

Fringe Technical Director Gabriel Pinto occupies Saturday night with a sax solo.

Finally a cross-town collaboration between Lemoyne and SU (well,sort of). Le Moyne alums Jacob Ellison and Justin Sullivan used creativity and crowd funding to pull together the inaugural Syracuse Fringe Festival last weekend, and it was held at the Community Folk Art Center along the  Connective Corridor. The event featured three days of multi-disciplinary artistic endeavors.  We checked out the final day of the program, which featured David Doyle, Ruth Arena and Anna Phillips. Fringe was very reminiscent of the THINC Sideshow parties from a decade or so ago (except the demographic for the Fringe was slightly older).

Live Art: Body Painting

Live Art: Body Painting

What was most surprising on Saturday was to watch Phillips, who is the artistic equivalent of a love child between Missy Elliot (always ahead of the curve) and Steven Wright (wry humor), do a comedy show in the Black Box Theater and smoothly transition into a monologue about her life that was more compelling than a episode of HBO’s In Treatment.

Was it Something She Said? Anna Phillips the comic meets the Real Anna Phillips for an evening.

Was it Something She Said? Anna Phillips kept it real for Spatial Profiling.

Not that it wasn’t good, just unexpected. We look forward to Anna’s upcoming gigs, where she will bring the noise again with jokes at two shows locally: Chicks are Funny and Guns n’ Syrup.

Four for the show

Saturday, December 22nd, 2012
T. Blunt (MC)

T. Blunt

T’was four nights before Christmas and laughter could be heard coming out of the theater at Jazz Central. The intimate music spot became a venue for some down-home laughs (and occasional snorts) last night.
Anna Phillips

Anna Phillips

Dan Frigolette

Dan Frigolette

Hoboken’s Dan Frigolette (graduate of Baldwinsville High) put together another joke fest this year, featuring Anna Phillips, and Syracuse natives Jessimae Peluso and newcomer T. Blunt (who served as the MC).  There were two sets for the Friday show.

Jessie Mae Peluso

Jessimae Peluso

Laughing without limits

Saturday, April 7th, 2012
Chrissie Cunningham: Was it something I said?

Toronto’s Chrissie Cunningham: Was it something I said?

Anna Phillips (pictured below) produced a comedy show at Jazz Central last night that featured homegirl Jessimae Peluso, Amy Carlson (New Rochelle) and Chrissie Cunningham (Toronto).

Anna Phillips

Anna Phillips said she thinks she is smarter than Lil’ Wayne, but she’s not sure.

Jessimae Peluso, who now lives in NYC, danced on stage, then reminisced about CNY and summers at Green Lakes making the human chain

Jessimae Peluso, who now lives in NYC, danced on stage, then reminisced about CNY and summers at Green Lakes making the human chain.

The laughs were punctated by stories about Hip Hop, relationships, parties and pet dogs.

Amy Carlson, who lives in New Rochelle, wrote a poem about Syracuse, want to hear it, here it goes.

Amy Carlson, who lives in New Rochelle, wrote a poem about Syracuse. Want to hear it, here it goes…

Cunningham, who happens to be hearing-impaired, was making her U.S. and Syracuse premiere.

Chrissie Cunningham from Syracuse in Focus on Vimeo.