Chris Monty Reviews

Stand-up nights bring down the house

Friday Dec 1st, 2006
By Jay Hodgkins
delmarvanow.com - Staff Writer

In OCEAN CITY -- One look at the likes of Dave "The Fruit Guy" and "Jailhouse Johnny," and you know Irie Radio morning host David "Bulldog" Rothner succeeded when he says he wanted to come up with something different to do at Seacrets.

The host of "The Rude Awakening Show" said, "There are a million places that offer food, offer drinks and offer music. It was a good tie-in to the radio show with comedy."

And so Seacrets Stand-up comedy night was born last year, going down every Tuesday in the offseason starting at 10 p.m.

Starting up season two of stand-up night, the 49th Street resort entertainment mecca has grown a quirky core of stand-up regulars from Justin, Nate and Joe Pez to "The Fruit Guy," who's quickly grown into a local legend and Bulldog favorite.

"He's great," Rothner said. "He never did stand-up. He always wanted to, and he took the opportunity."

This Tuesday, "Fruit Guy" catered to a smaller, weather-afflicted audience, but he's learning how to work any room and he went full steam ahead pitching a barrel of jokes not quite fit for the pages of the mild-mannered Beachcomber -- but still plenty funny.

And of course every comedian has to have a bite, which "Fruit Guy" has pinned with his finishing salvo as he sings "I'm dreaming of an orange Christmas" before posing with an orange, launching it about 20 feet into the air and catching it in his mouth before singing on mid-chew.

The real pro, though, is Queen's comedian Chris Monty, a headliner in Atlantic City and Las Vegas, who has also appeared on HBO before heading to Seacrets Tuesday night.

"This month I went to Vegas then Atlantic City, New York city, now ... Ocean City ... That career's really takin' off," Monty opened with, the first of many great jabs at the resort in the offseason.

Monty brought down the house, small as it was, with classic fare from the family to dating to ethnic differences.

It's that streamlined professional comedy fare that's taken Seacrets Stand-up to the next level as Rothner said they plan on having a headliner for every stand-up night this year.

"We've got a lot of connections through the radio show and we're pretty tied in to Comedy Central," Rothner said. "Because we're so hooked in it's a natural fit."

But the meat of Seacrets Stand-up will always be the town's average Joe's competing for the $50 first prize.

"Everybody has a funny story," Rothner said. "Some of these guys come up with stuff worthy of HBO."

Orginial document copyright delmarvanow.com

 

Three Village Times

Friday May 25, 2001
Laughter Is The Best Medicine
Comedians come out for Breast Cancer Research

In 1994, Jane Stanczuk, a resident of Franklin Square, experienced sadness and fear. She had received the diagnosis of breast cancer. For Stanczuk, the diagnosis was not something foreign to her family. Within a three-year period, her two sisters, Lucille Montrony of Elmont and Kathleen Sarna of Valley Stream, also had battled breast cancer.

With the cancer in remission, the sisters are fighting back now. Forming a foundation, which they named The Three Strohm (their maiden name) Sisters Family Foundation. They raise money for breast cancer research.

Their first annual dinner dance fundraiser in October proved to be successful. But the sisters have made it their mission to try and put an end to a disease that had stricken each of them.

Although they may have experienced depression in the early 1990's when they begun their fight, the Strohm sisters and supporters of their foundation couldn't help laughing last Sunday night. That's because the Strohm sisters held a benefit at Brokerage Comedy Cub in which local comedians came out to support the cause.

Chris Monty, Lucille's son, is a Long Island comedian and together with some other talented comics such as Peter Bales, who acted as master of ceremonies, performed in front of a full house at the Brokerage in Bellmore, which donated the tickets for the event. Tickets were then sold with all the proceeds going to the Strohm Sisters Family Foundation for breast cancer research.

With the Strohm Sisters and people like Chris Monty on a crusade, perhaps one day no woman will have to go through the emotions the three sisters experienced years ago. Thanks to the sisters and Chris Monty, not only may laughter be the best medicine, but yet another way to find a cure.

The Three Strohm Sisters Family Foundation Breast Cancer Comedy Fund Raiser is an annual event held in May at the Brokerage Comedy Club. Please contact Chris Monty to find out more details on donating and/or attending this event.