(That would have been a nerve-wracking moment for me had there been a possibility of me accepting the invitation, but I was not tempted). There’s even an opportunity for audience participation: Ofiesh invites audience members to walk up to the stage, undress behind the curtain, and tell a naked joke onstage. “I should be allowed to have my body in its natural state in a nonsexual context." Kendra Dawsey Performing in the showcase provides her with that opportunity.
“I should be allowed to have my body in its natural state in a nonsexual context,” she says. That’s what Kendra Dawsey, a comic who’s done the showcase a handful of times, likes about it. Naked Comedy shows regular people’s bodies, moving in nonsexual ways. Most of us don’t usually see naked bodies besides our own, our partners’ and strangers’ onscreen (always curated and edited, though towards various ends). It’s an extremely intimate, and totally singular, way to see somebody naked. But I, at least, couldn’t stop staring at the comics’ bodies. Less prelude to an orgy, more dinner table at a nudist colony (with some kind of food no one can eat tidily - ramen noodles or a whole lobster). There was a lot of energy in the room, but none of it sexual.
It’s not that the audience ogled the performers. That’s not a comment on the comics’ skills, but on the fact that it’s hard to say words, any words, more interesting than the sight of a naked body, on a stage, under lights. At Naked Comedy, though, I listened to the jokes, but couldn’t fully hear them. Usually, after a show, I remember a few of the jokes that made me laugh the hardest. I love live standup, local shows as much as seeing the sets of celebrity comics, so I have a control group to compare this show to. It’s hard to say words, any words, more interesting than the sight of a naked body, on a stage, under lights. “It was terrifying, but then it was wonderful.” The experience of a crowd’s acceptance, and making them laugh, felt like “being kissed for the first time.” He hosts the showcase, in part, to introduce other comics to that joy. Ofiesh created the show, which has an unusual origin story: he’d first performed standup at a clothing-optional retreat’s talent show. On the first Thursday of each month, the bravest of the brave reveal not only their (figurative) souls but also their (literal) bodies. The Naked Comedy Showcase has been running for nearly 15 years at ImprovBoston (which is actually in Cambridge).
Ofiesh said his equipment was “huge, but most of it is inside my body.” We laughed, loudly. When you’re naked, there’s definitely some extra tension to dispel. I once took a standup class (clothed), and the teacher encouraged us to tell a joke about how we looked to dispel any tension from the audience’s expectations. All normal for a comedy show, except that Ofiesh is completely naked. Andy Ofiesh, a middle-aged man, walks out, grinning. House lights dim, the audience hushes, stage lights go up. (Courtesy Roger Hagadone This article is more than 1 year old. Comedian Andy Ofiesh hosts ImprovBoston's Naked Comedy Showcase.
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