NEWS: April Rumblings

Don't look now, but April looks to be a big month for comedy in Philadelphia. In addition to the regular monthly shows such as Die, Actor, Die:

- Stand-up comic Doogie Horner (and frequent C Vs. A contributor) has a new monthly show at Fergie's Pub starting on April 30th called THE MINISTRY OF SECRET JOKES. It'll be mostly stand-up but with some sketch and other fun stuff. "Don't come to the show thinking you're going to get any information about the Secret Jokes though," Horner says. "They are secured in a locked attache which I keep handcuffed to my wrist. There will be plenty of non-classified jokes though, which are almost as funny." And it's all free!

- You saw the video earlier this week for the sketch comedy show WELCOME TO THE TERRORDOME at The M Room on April 18th. Set to perform are Secret Pants, Meg & Rob, Animosity Pierre, The Sixth Borough and Rowan & Hastings. "The Philly Sketch scene is fully prepared to bust out, and we want this show to prove that," says Bryce of Secret Pants

- Speaking of Secret Pants, they'll be hosting/judging the COLLEGE COMEDY COMPETITION at the Helium Comedy Club on April 16th. According to Megan Dinan of Helium, the stand-up slots are all filled up, but there's still room for three more sketch groups. If interested, you can contact her at 215-496-9001 or megand@heliumcomedy.com. Only one of the members of your group has to be in college to enter.

- And of course there's another installment of BEDTIME STORIES on April 2nd. This time the topic is hipsters. Why hipsters? "I wrote some sketches about Fugazi, and this is the only opportunity I have to perform them," says host Gregg Gethard. Usually the show contains just comedy, but given the topic there had to be music. So, Gregg got local hip hop group Sgt. Sass to headline. And, he'll be announcing the very special guest for the May addition.

- Also during the Philly Improv Theater's week at the Shubin Theater (April 2nd-6th): Tybrus, improv comedy from the UCB in New York along with Holmes/Maughan, made up of Matt Holmes of Rare Bird Show and Greg Maughan, founder of PHIT and member of Industrial.

- April 18th marks the first official show of the stand-up comedy group PEOPLE WERE OUTRAGED, made up of Brendan Kennedy, Benny Michaels and Mike Rainey at the Walking Fish Theatre in Fishtown.

- Improv at the library? On April 2nd, that's just the case as Whipsuit, Angry People Building Things and The Throng perform at the Central Library of the Free Library of Philadelphia. Free!

Also, the national acts in town include Tim & Eric, Joe Rogan, Louis CK (with Todd Barry), John Witherspoon, Steve Harvey and Kids in the Hall!