Fans of comedy gathered at The Alley Theater, a section of Louisville’s City Block, to laugh and show support for the comedians performing. The evening showcased area comedic talent.
Two hours passed before Brach McRae, headliner and IUS student, climbed on stage. The fair-skinned red-head was the youngest to perform at the age of 23. He seemed confident and collected, wearing a small smirk and holding a glass of water throughout the performance.
“It was a tough show because as a headliner you’re expected to be the raunchiest,” McRae said about going on after the other comedians.
“My act is relatively clean, so I had to alter my material a bit.”
During his act, he talked about his hometown, Jeffersonville. He talked about gett ing pulled over by the police and how “watermelon is natural Viagra.”
“How am I supposed to perform sexually when I got a tummy ache?” McRae asked his audience.
McCrae, elementary education senior, started performing in 2005. He said he developed an itch to try it out after seeing live performances of local amateur comedians.
“It wasn’t the greatest,” he said about his first show. He said the first performance was all about building courage to get up on stage.
“I didn’t get booed, so that was good,” he said.
McCrae continued to perform longer sets at the Comedy Caravan’s amateur night before being asked to host the shows.
He continued to perform and eventually was named the “Funniest Person in Lexington” by Comedy Off Broadway, a Lexington comedy club.
In 2006, McRae called into the Covino and Rich show on the Maxim Channel on Sirius radio and appeared regularly to entertain their audience.
“They had a ‘Yo Mama’ contest every week and people would call in and challenge me,” McRae said.
Some performances didn’t always go as well.
“I’ve gotten pretty used to bad audiences. I did a show at a package liquor store in Bardstown,” McRae said. “It was really bad. People were drunk and talking the whole time.”
Fellow comedian Jerry Pauly, who also performed at the Alley Theater, remembered first meeting McCrae at the Comedy Caravan because McRae, who wasn’t yet 21, was having trouble getting in.
“Since, we have played a bunch of shows together. He’s got his own style and doesn’t really mimic anyone,” Pauly said. “Brach is very creative and he’s got one of the best deliveries and stage presence in town.”
Chuck Porter, a comedian who also performed, promoted the show at the Alley Theater and included McCrae in several of his showcases. He said he feels McCrae is one of the few people in the local comedy scene that has a real shot at making it in the music business.
“He is young, so he needs a few more years to sharpen his edges, but I’m sure that in a few more years, people in this area are going to see him on some TV shows and say ‘Hey, I saw him,’” Porter said.
Despite the impressions he has made on his colleagues, McRae denies a career in comedy.
“Once I graduate, I’ll probably teach somewhere,” McRae said. “It’s hard to be a professional comedian and there’s not much money there.”
Kari Lalonde, McRae’s mother, agrees.
“Brach’s realistic and has a really good head on his shoulders,” Lalonde said. “He has no delusions of grandeur.”
Still, Lalonde said she has always been impressed with McRae’s humor.
“Since he was a litt le boy, he was funny and always enjoyed making the room laugh,” Lalonde said.
By HUNTER EMBRY
Staff Writer
ahembry@ius.edu