Something Funnier than Paul Reiser?

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Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore

Paul Reiser aims to please, even when he isn't the one doing the pleasing. 

When asked what could persuade someone on the fence about seeing him at his 8 p.m., Saturday, July 27, show at the Pabst Theater, the stand-up comedy master known as much for his books and acting offered, “Well, you can’t beat my ‘satisfaction guaranteed’ plan. If you come to the show and don’t have a great time, I will personally come back to Milwaukee next year and take you to see someone funnier. Come on, how you gonna beat that!?”

But not getting an evening of hearty laughter from a rare touring performance by one of Comedy Central’s top 100 comics of all time seems like a long shot. Though Reiser may have held the top spot of The New York Times’ best-sellers with books such as Couplehood, starred in classic movies including Diner and won his time slot in the Nielsen ratings with his hit ’90s sitcom, “Mad About You,” success in multiple media hasn't taken him above being an everyman who resonates with a broad audience.

Citing one of his heroes in humor, Reiser says, “George Carlin used to talk about ‘Oh yeah’ comedy. When you say something on stage, people respond internally by saying, ‘Oh, yeah—me too!’ A big part of why people laugh is that they recognize themselves and are kind of glad to know they’re not the only ones going through these things. What they don’t know is that when they laugh, it works the other way too. Their laugh tells me ‘Oh, good—it ain’t just me!’”

Where Reiser separates himself from Carlin, however, is his preference to not stir the pot of controversy. “There certainly are comics who are brilliant at jumping into the heavy stuff, pushing the envelope or diving into politics. But that has never been my wheelhouse. 

“And I have to say: I really do sense that when people come to my shows, they’re really looking forward to just laughing and not touching any third rails that spark big reactions. The world is so intense at this moment, and people really do want an hour and a half of escape. To just have those communal laughs.” For those of us who appreciate Reiser’s way with words behind a lone microphone, all his other projects, including more recent undertakings like roles on Netflix’s “Stranger Things,” Hulu’s “Here’s...Johnny!” and FX’s “Fosse/Verdon” are fine showcases for his talent that keep him from his first love—stand-up comedy. Reiser’s return to the artform that made his name has been gratifying at least as much for him as his longtime followers.    

Among the favorite parts of his work is interacting with those he amuses—“getting to actually meet and chat with audience members after the shows. I’ve been so surprised and moved by the stories people have shared; how some particular episode of ‘Mad About You’ was important to them, how one joke has become a part of their lives at home… It’s very gratifying to actually hear it in person. When the show was on originally, I was too busy to be out there, and I never got to really feel the impact it seems to have had.” 

Here is Reiser from a few years ago, admitting that with age has come the need for glasses—and a not-quite helpful eye doctor:

Milwaukee Comedy Festival

Paul Reiser isn’t the only big name to be bringing laughs to the city soon. The 14th annual Milwaukee Comedy Festival will present six days’ worth of mirth from its “unofficial official” kick-off roast at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, July 29, at Club Garibaldi to a triple-headlining bill of stand-up and improv from Madison and Chicago starting 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 3, at the Underground Collaborative. 

There’s plenty in between those shows as well. As festival producer Greg Bach says, “Milwaukee Comedy Festival is putting on 17 events at eight locations over the course of the week, featuring over 40 performers. We have got our work cut out for us, but it will be an amazing festival and as comedy fans ourselves, we can’t wait to watch them all!” 

If that seems like a lot to put together for a week of hilarity, the curatorial philosophy Milwaukee Comedy’s Bach, Matt Kemple and Kaitlyn McCarthy employ couldn’t be any more basic. Bach explains, “The theme for the past 14 years has been and always will be, ‘Do they make us laugh?’ It seems simple, but it’s the truth. Of course, the nuance of it is that, with nearly 300 submissions this year, we have to pick those who made us laugh the hardest. We strive to bring our audience the best shows, and we want to make sure as many voices are represented during the fest, which we’ve achieved, but they have to make us laugh.”

As an event of its size and duration—“Many comedy festivals don’t last 14 years; we found out MCF is one of the longest-running festivals in the country,” Bach says—the fest has provided as springboard for many fledgling acts to establish themselves for greater opportunities.

“I believe all of the performers have used the festival as a stepping stone in one way or another,” Bach continues. “Because it’s about the opportunity they get by performing in the fest, which leads to other comics seeing a great set, which leads to getting booked on out-of-town shows, which leads to the next opportunity and so on and so forth. It’s their hard work mixed with what we can offer which leads to more success. On a side note, it always feels so good to tell a local comic they get to open for a nationally touring headliner, it speaks highly to their talent, hard work and persistence.” 

Though Milwaukee Comedy Festival is already ambitious, Bach aspires to taking it to one of the city’s most commodious locations in the future. “I would love to see our logo on the big screen of Fiserv Forum,” he says, “but at the moment, we have nothing else in mind other than working every day and night to make sure this year’s venues run smoothly and have the absolute best shows possible.”