STAND UP TUESDAYS: Stephen Thomas

July 23rd, 2013

Angie Frissore

Stand-Up Tuesdays is a weekly comedy spotlight written by the wonderfully talented Angie Frissore. Covering both known and unknown comics, Stand-up Tuesdays is your new source for all things funny.

This week, Angie puts a spotlight on Stephen Thomas’ comedy career. If you or your comedy troupe would like to be featured on Stand-Up Tuesdays, please email utgjames@gmail.com.

While comedian Stephen Thomas isn’t breaking any new comedic ground with his latest release from Uproar Entertainment, “Magic Wife Dust”, the effort does prove that often times, the funniest of material comes straight out of the pages of real life. The comedy veteran has been performing for over twenty years in clubs and military bases worldwide and offers his views on married life, growing older, and bizarre word play in a performance recorded in Las Vegas.

Initially, Thomas has a very Jeff Foxworthy-esque sound to his voice, which thankfully is quickly overshadowed by his lack of red-neck-ish banter as he presents the experiences of a man who’s been married for fifteen years in a way that anyone can relate to, married or otherwise – including his time-tested, fail-proof method of enticing his wife into sex: “(Yawns) it’s 9:15, you wanna fuck or not?”

A down-to-earth guy, Thomas is utterly relatable in his material as he paints a contrast from his single days to aging married life, all the while intertwining hilarious stories into the mix – particularly a tale about a few guys who decided to streak through a Denny’s late-night, only to find their car had been stolen.

“Woohoo! Woohoo….woo…hoo….woo? Kevin, I don’t want to be a dick, but where’d you park?”

Thomas certainly hits the mark with his material, capturing the audience’s attention from start to finish. When the show is over, however, I’m left wondering how memorable the experience was for fans – while Thomas is definitely a clever and hilarious comic, he doesn’t do quite enough to make himself stand out from the comedy pack. Now, it’s not to say I think that all comedians should have a signature ‘shtick’, per se, but Thomas’ brand of everyday-life commentary could easily slip past the consciousness of fans as they evolve to more risk-taking comedic styles – which would be a shame, as Thomas truly is quite enjoyable to listen to.

The only back-to-back champion of The World Series Of Comedy, Thomas has appeared on multiple television shows both domestically and abroad, and his “Here’s The Thing” sports humor commentary is heard by 2.2 million listeners weekdays on The Nick Bonsanto Radio Show. He has made a dozen trips overseas for the military, including numerous times in Afghanistan and Iraq and has performed in 68 countries across 6 continents, and all 50 US States. You can snag a copy of Thomas’ “Magic Wife Dust” via Uproar Entertainment here – you’ll be happy you did.

Grade: B