New Year's family-friendly comedy show in Elgin
Take three comedians, two television news personalities and a live band and what do you get: one of the best New Year's Eve family-friendly experiences in the Chicago area. Billed as “The New Year's Eve Comedy Show for People Who Can't Stay Up ‘Til Midnight,” this party, coming to The Hemmens Cultural Center in Elgin on Dec. 31, has it all.
There's headlining comedian, Rocky LaPorte, Chicago comedians Tim Clue and Spike Manton as well as the WGN TV morning news funny-team Ana Belaval and Pat Tomasulo. The comedy is clean (appropriate for ages 12 and up) and the music is live, provided by Sons of the Never Wrong, whose three members have been creating what they call “turbo-charged folk music” for over 19 years to a cult-like following.
“We are extremely proud to be bringing top notch comedian Rocky LaPorte and the award-winning Sons of the Never Wrong,” said comic Tim Clue. LaPorte may be one of the most sought after comedians in the country but Clue is no slouch either. He trained at Second City here in Chicago and has been performing stand up for 20 years. Clue said, “We know there are always high expectations for the show, so this year we've also begged WGN-TV morning news peeps Pat Tomasulo and Ana Belaval to come out and showcase their off-screen comedy.”
“What a great night for a sports dork like me to get some laughs and meet some WGN Morning News fans of Ana Belaval. I don't think I have fans,” said Pat Tomasulo. WGN viewers may not realize that the sports anchor has been interested in comedy for a long time now and has incorporated his comedic stylings into recurring sketch bits and video shorts.
The other half of the comedy team, WGN reporter Ana Belaval responded, “C'mon, Pat has fans. They just won't spend money to see him do stand-up.” A notion she hopes to counter when the two pair up on New Year's Eve. Belaval, a two-time Emmy award winner who brings a slice of Chicago life to viewers, also does stand-up. After performing stand-up for the first time for a Chicago celebrity event at Zanie's, Ana received so many laughs that she continues to write and perform comedy sets all over the Chicago area.
Belaval's story is similar to comic Spike Manton's. After graduating with a business degree, he took a sales job in Chicago and began moonlighting in the local comedy clubs. He then moved on to a career in Chicago Radio and TV Broadcasting. Manton is now a full-time comic and writer and has been on Comedy Central, Evening at the Improv and MTV.
If you would like see what happens when these five funny “peeps” get together, head to The Hemmens Cultural Center on Dec. 31 to ring in the New Year with music and laughs. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. For tickets and information, call the Hemmens box office at (847) 931-5900 or visit www.hemmens.org.