Young standup stars join for 'Nobodies of Comedy'

1/28/2005

Jamie Lissow doesn't mind being called a nobody. In fact, he kind of likes it.

"I guess I'm not known enough to be a 'somebody,' but that's fine by me," he says.

Lissow and four other comics will take to the stage tomorrow night in the Ritz Theatre in Tiffin in a show called the "Nobodies of Comedy."

The title of the show, meant to spotlight the fact that the comics involved aren't exactly household names, is really something of a misnomer. Lissow and the other comedians - Jon Fisch, Joe Bublewicz, Josh Sneed, and Jason Douglas - are all experienced young standup comics with several TV appearances to their collective credit, including Leno, Letterman, and Craig Kilborn.

All of the comedians involved with the "Nobodies" show tour on their own, Lissow says, but appearing together is a nice change for them.

"We're all headliners normally, but you know, it can get sort of lonely on the road," he says. "With these guys, when we're on the road it's like we're not even working. We're just having a good time, whether we're on stage or not.

"Last weekend we did three 'Nobodies' shows, and we hung out together when we weren't on. It was a blast."

The "Nobodies" show is put together by the same people who organize the Laughter Arts Festival (LAF), a grouping of comics that features rotating casts as it is booked around the country. But the LAF lineups generally feature more established comics such as Kevin Pollak, Bobcat Goldthwait, Richard Lewis, Harry Anderson, Robert Schimmel, and Wendy Liebman. The "Nobodies" tour is made up of younger comics.

Lissow, 30, is a native of Rochester, N.Y., with a college degree in mathematics and psychology. He lives in Los Angeles now, but says he's familiar with Ohio, having gotten his start in comedy at the Cleveland Improv club.

The "Nobodies" shows are structured so that each comic has his turn in the spotlight, ending up with Lissow as the final comic, or headliner.

"It's not hard at all, because by the time I get on, the crowd has been rolling already for more than an hour, and they stay with it," he says. "They're ready for more comedy."

"Nobodies of Comedy" will take place at 8 p.m. tomorrow in the Ritz Theatre, 30 South Washington St., in Tiffin. Tickets, $9 to $29, are available at the box office, by phone at 419-448-8544, or www.ritztheatre.org.

Contact Mike Kelly at: mkelly@theblade.com

or 419-724-6131.