Category Archives: Comedy

Just 4 Days Until The Funniest, Most Rocking New Year’s Party Ever!

Mr Olsen Poster 2A splendid time is guaranteed for all this New Year’s Eve in Evanston, Illinois. (Which is, of course, just 5 minutes from anywhere by rocket car!)

851575_497491816991199_391471856_nBut why party in Evanston? Why not join the throngs in Times Square, on Bourbon Street in New Orleans – or at Monty’s Steakhouse in Woodland Hills? Because the big little town north of Chicago is where you can enjoy  “Mr. Olsen’s New Year’s Rockin’ Neighborhood” at 27 Live — Evanston’s newest nightclub.27live_concerthallfinal

DSC_8401The fun begins at 8:00 PM with a one-hour comedy variety revue for the middle ages — hosted by screenwriter/comedian Dana Olsen, and featuring yours truly and my wife Victoria Zielinski of “The Vic & Paul Show”; our tall, blonde friend and fellow Practical Theatre founder, Brad Hall; the great Steve Rashid tinkling the ivories; Rockin’ Ronny Crawford hitting the rim shots on drums; and narrated by Stewart Figa, who will also grace the show with his powerful singing voice.

If you were among the standing-room-only crowd that caught “Mr. Olsen’s Neighborhood” at the Wilmette Theatre last June, you’ll have some idea of the fun to be had when Mr. Olsen and his neighbors get together to sing, dance and look back on the craziness of 2013 with laughter and comic camaraderie.

Rockme PhotoThen, at 10:00 PM, the kids (of all ages) will start jumpin’ when Riffmaster and The Rockme Foundation take the stage for two sets of classic rock & roll and original songs written by a bunch of guys who grew up listening to the best records ever made and played on the radio. Wit, harmony, the big backbeat — and passionate guitar playing that would make Chuck Berry proud of his children.

28127_10150190489000591_536200590_12508602_5992375_nAfter Riff and the Rockmes ring in the New Year, a DJ will keep the dance floor jumping until 2:00 AM.

It’s all happening at 27 Live, featuring a great stage, bar, whiskey lounge, and restaurant in a 14,000 square foot space that’s perfect for a New Year’s Eve crowd. 27 Live is located at 1012 Church Street, just steps away from both the CTA Purple line and Metra Davis stops.

Valet Parking is available.

sc00003a0eTickets are $25 in advance and $30 at door – with a $100 Dinner Package available (includes a 5 course dinner).

Tickets are now on sale at www.27live.com

Or get them at this link.

See you on New Year’s Eve!

Leave a comment

Filed under Art, Comedy, Improvisation, Music, Uncategorized

Mr. Olsen’s New Year’s Rockin’ Neighborhood!

NYE Banner 141-ogNYE Banner 2There will be no better place to be this New Year’s Eve than in Evanston, Illinois – that little college town just north of Chicago.

851575_497491816991199_391471856_nBut why party in Evanston? Why not Paris, or Rome, or the Greek island of Santorini? Why not join the throngs in Times Square – or at Monty’s Steakhouse in Woodland Hills?

Because Evanston in where you can be a part of “Mr. Olsen’s New Year’s Rockin’ Neighborhood” at 27 Live.

DSC_8401The fun begins at 8:00 PM with a one-hour comedy variety revue for the middle ages — hosted by screenwriter/comedian Dana Olsen, and featuring yours truly and my wife Victoria Zielinski of “The Vic & Paul Show”; our tall, blonde friend and fellow Practical Theatre founder, Brad Hall; the great Steve Rashid tinkling the ivories; Rockin’ Ronny Crawford hitting the rim shots on drums; and narrated by Stewart Figa, who will also grace the show with his powerful singing voice.

If you were among the standing-room-only crowd that caught “Mr. Olsen’s Neighborhood” at the Wilmette Theatre last June, you’ll have some idea of the fun to be had when Mr. Olsen and his neighbors get together to share some laughter and comic camaraderie.

Rockme PhotoThen, at 10:00 PM, the kids (of all ages) will start jumpin’ when Riffmaster and The Rockme Foundation take the stage for two sets of classic rock & roll and original songs written by a bunch of guys who grew up listening to the best records ever made and played on the radio. Wit, harmony, the big backbeat — and passionate guitar playing that would make Chuck Berry proud of his children.

28127_10150190489000591_536200590_12508602_5992375_nAfter Riff and the Rockmes ring in the New Year, a DJ will keep the dance floor jumping until 2:00 AM.

It’s all happening at Evanston’s newest nightclub and concert venue, 27 Live, featuring a great stage, bar, whiskey lounge, and restaurant in a 14,000 square foot space that’s perfect for a New Year’s Eve crowd. 27 Live is located at 1012 Church Street, just steps away from both the CTA Purple line and Metra Davis stops.

27live_concerthallfinalValet Parking is available.

Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at door – with a $100 Dinner Package available (includes a 5 course dinner).

Tickets are now on sale at www.27live.com

Or you can get them at this link.

See you in Evanston on New Year’s Eve!Mr Olsen Poster 2sc00003a0e

2 Comments

Filed under Art, Comedy, Improvisation, Music, Uncategorized

Snickerdoodlin’ with Emilia & Maggie…

Emilia Poster Final JpegComedy lovers in the Chicago area have a chance to see a couple of bright young performers in their first live original sketch show, when my daughter, Emilia Barrosse and her friend and collaborator, Maggie Fish, present “We’re All People Here, Right” at Studio Be across the street from The Vic Theatre at 3110 N. Sheffield Avenue.

Sunny HighEmilia and Maggie met at Northwestern University, where they teamed up to shoot their own comic videos as Snickerdoodlin’ Productions. (I have no idea how a daughter of mine ever got the notion to perform original comedy with her NU classmates.)

Batman's OutYou can check out Emilia and Maggie’s Snickerdoodlin’ videos on YouTube – or follow what they’re doing on Facebook.

InterviewAnd you can watch a very nice interview with Emilia and Maggie by clicking here.

“We’re All People Here, Right?” will be presented on three consecutive Monday nights: November 25th, December 2nd & December 9th at 10:00 pm. Tickets are $5 and the proceeds go to charity.

A couple of my favorite Snickerdoodlin’ videos are “Welcome to Sunny High”…

“Do Not Solicit”

And “The Fork Factor”…

Snickerbanner

Leave a comment

Filed under Art, Beauty, Comedy, Improvisation, Uncategorized

Mr. Olsen’s New Year’s Rockin’ Neighborhood!

NYE Banner 141-ogNYE Banner 2There will be no better place to be this New Year’s Eve than in Evanston, Illinois – that little college town just north of Chicago.

851575_497491816991199_391471856_nBut why party in Evanston? Why not Paris, or Rome, or the Greek island of Santorini? Why not join the throngs in Times Square – or at Monty’s Steakhouse in Woodland Hills?

Because Evanston in where you can be a part of “Mr. Olsen’s New Year’s Rockin’ Neighborhood” at 27 Live.

DSC_8401The fun begins at 8:00 PM with a one-hour comedy variety revue for the middle ages — hosted by screenwriter/comedian Dana Olsen, and featuring yours truly and my wife Victoria Zielinski of “The Vic & Paul Show”; our tall, blonde friend and fellow Practical Theatre founder, Brad Hall; the great Steve Rashid tinkling the ivories; Rockin’ Ronny Crawford hitting the rim shots on drums; and narrated by Stewart Figa, who will also grace the show with his powerful singing voice.

If you were among the standing-room-only crowd that caught “Mr. Olsen’s Neighborhood” at the Wilmette Theatre last June, you’ll have some idea of the fun to be had when Mr. Olsen and his neighbors get together to share some laughter and comic camaraderie.

Rockme PhotoThen, at 10:00 PM, the kids (of all ages) will start jumpin’ when Riffmaster and The Rockme Foundation take the stage for two sets of classic rock & roll and original songs written by a bunch of guys who grew up listening to the best records ever made and played on the radio. Wit, harmony, the big backbeat — and passionate guitar playing that would make Chuck Berry proud of his children.

28127_10150190489000591_536200590_12508602_5992375_nAfter Riff and the Rockmes ring in the New Year, a DJ will keep the dance floor jumping until 2:00 AM.

It’s all happening at Evanston’s newest nightclub and concert venue, 27 Live, featuring a great stage, bar, whiskey lounge, and restaurant in a 14,000 square foot space that’s perfect for a New Year’s Eve crowd. 27 Live is located at 1012 Church Street, just steps away from both the CTA Purple line and Metra Davis stops.

27live_concerthallfinalValet Parking is available.

Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at door – with a $100 Dinner Package available (includes a 5 course dinner).

Tickets are now on sale at www.27live.com

Or you can get them at this link.

See you in Evanston on New Year’s Eve!sc00003a0e

1 Comment

Filed under Art, Comedy, Improvisation, Music, Uncategorized

The Louvre: An Exercise in Empathy

My daughter Emilia stops by The Louvre to pose with the peeps on pedestals…

ebarrosse9291's avatarGetting Free

Ah, The Louvre! Arguably the world’s most famous museum! Home to the Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, The Code of Hammurabi and Napoleon III’s apartments. A building filled with more history and knowledge than even the world’s greatest geniuses could consume. But here’s the catch: it’s all in French.

IMG_0939

I didn’t notice this until I walked into my first exhibit: a room filled with gorgeous scultpures. I realized when I was at the free museums in Liverpool just how much I love sculptures and reading the plaques that come with them so I get a sense ofIMG_0951 what each statue is thinking and living through. But when I went to understand the sculptures better in The Louvre, I was met with French descriptions.

At first, I was a bit disappointed—all these incredible pieces of art, and I didn’t know what they meant? But then I remembered an old mantra: art is…

View original post 133 more words

Leave a comment

Filed under Adventure, Art, Beauty, Comedy

“You’re in Rio—why are you sleeping?” Part (5/5): The Sunburn

Here is the 5th and final installment of my daughter Emilia’s series of blog posts on her recent trip to Brazil to cover the story of how the government is dealing with the slums of Rio in advance of the Olympics. (It’s also about the need for sunscreen.)

ebarrosse9291's avatarGetting Free

Inside every adult lurks a graduation speaker dying to get out, some world-weary pundit eager to pontificate on life to young people who’d rather be Rollerblading. Most of us, alas, will never be invited to sow our words of wisdom among an audience of caps and gowns, but there’s no reason we can’t entertain ourselves by composing a Guide to Life for Graduates.

I encourage anyone over 26 to try this and thank you for indulging my attempt.Ladies and gentlemen of the class of ’97:

Wear sunscreen.”

I would like to take this moment to inform my e-audience that, before I went to Brazil, I’d read that speech. Several times. I thought it was funny. Now I know it was serious.

After 5 whole days in Brazil, and only three left, Roshan and I finally made it to the beach—we made a day of it. We’d go to both…

View original post 675 more words

1 Comment

Filed under Adventure, Beauty, Comedy, Politics

The Election in 2 Videos..

Here are two videos that capture the essential issues in the 2012 Presidential race between President Obama and Mitt Romney. The first video lays out the stark contrast between Obama’s progressive agenda and Romney’s regressive, top-down, trickle-down approach to governing.

Now, here’s a more visceral take on Romney’s candidacy. Our good friend Shelly Goldstein put new words to the classic 1965 rock single by The Knickerbockers, written by Beau Charles and Buddy Randell. Enjoy!

5 Comments

Filed under Comedy, Music, Politics

A Satiric Salute to Mitt Romney

Our good friend Shelly Goldstein put new words to the classic 1965 rock single by The Knickerbockers, written by Beau Charles and Buddy Randell. Enjoy!

3 Comments

Filed under Comedy, Music, Politics

What Ohio Voters Must Know…

Leave a comment

October 8, 2012 · 11:19 am

Mitt Romney for President???

Emma and Elizabeth model their t-shirt.

A bright young friend of ours, Elizabeth Weinstein, has come up with a fun way to call GOP candidate Mitt Romney on his bull@#%* and raise some money for President Obama’s campaign.

Elizabeth and her friend Emma Joshi have designed and produced t-shirts declaring, “Romney for President of The Cayman Islands”.

It’s a fun way to highlight multi-millionaire Mitt’s tax-avoidance schemes, make fellow Obama supporters smile, and put a frown on the face of Romney-Ryan voters – all at the same time.

The shirts cost $20 (or $24.99 with free 1-5 day shipping). $10 from the sale of each t-shirt goes to the Obama campaign.

Shirts come in small, medium, large, extra large and 2X.

You can order your “Romney for President of The Cayman Islands” shirts at their eBay store:

You can see and order men’s shirts at this link.

You can see and order women’s shirts at this link.

So get a “Romney for President of The Cayman Islands” t- shirt and wear it loudly and proudly this election season. And if Romney can’t win in The Cayman Islands – maybe he can try a run in Switzerland?

Leave a comment

Filed under Comedy, Politics