The Student News Site of Florida Gulf Coast University

Eagle Media

Eagle Media

Eagle Media

Comedian Brian Regan to perform at Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall, April 24

Brian Regan, the hilariously goofy standup comedian, is set to perform at Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall at 7 p.m. Sunday, April 24.

Last year, on Sept. 26, Regan’s career got sent into overdrive when he made history with the first ever live broadcast of a stand-up special on Comedy Central.

Regan said he was nervous at first.

“You know, it was a big deal, and I was extremely excited,” Regan said. “When you’re in this business, it’s fun to be in situations where you get butterflies. When you’re putting yourself in that situation, it means something pretty intense and cool is about to happen.”

Story continues below advertisement

Since that event, Regan has both been featured in his first-ever movie and started on a tour that’s going to take him to nearly 100 cities.

The movie is a Chris Rock production called “Top Five” set to come out in December. You can see a clip from Regan’s scene-stealing performance in the very beginning of the trailer. Despite all of his previous experience in the spotlight — including 28 performances on The Late Show with David Letterman — the awe of being in a film for the first time was not lost on Regan.

“It was a thrill to be asked by him, and it was just amazing to see how many people are involved,” Regan said. “It seemed like there were 500 people there making this movie. There were all these chords and cameras, directors and producers, and light people and sound people — all of that just so Chris Rock and I could be silly together for a few minutes.”

Although film and TV are looking bright for Regan’s future, his main goal for the moment is focusing on delivering a good show for his many sold out venues across America. Some may wonder why Fort Myers made the cut.

“I’d like to go there in particular because it’s the greatest place on Earth,” Regan said.

His burst of infectious laughter revealed that he was joking, before he said, on a more serious note, “I perform anywhere and everywhere, and it’s part of anywhere and everywhere.”

Although he may not be familiar with Fort Myers in particular, he said that performing in college towns holds a special place in his heart.

“The fact that I decided to be a comedian while I was in college does give me a little bit of an extra feeling about it because that was the world where I decided what I wanted to do, in the college world,” Regan said. “When I went to college, I had no clue what I wanted to do, and by the time I left, I completely knew. Performing at colleges is always a treat.”

Regan gave some insight into what fans can expect at his shows.

“Well, when they’re coming in, I hand out T-shirts that say, ‘Welcome to the Greatest Place On Earth!’ and I sign it,” Regan said. “And, people feel very wonderful about themselves.”

Despite his joking nature, Regan explained his love of the craft more seriously.

“What I love about comedy is that it’s beautifully simplistic,” Regan said. “There’s a mic and a stool and a bottle of water, and I’m going to get up there with nothing but that and try to make people laugh for an hour. And, usually I can pull it off.”

Leave a Comment
More to Discover

Comments (0)

All Eagle Media Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *