Ohio-born John Caparulo has been bringing the laughs at Harrah’s Las Vegas with his Mad Cap Comedy residency since 2018 and while he waits for the show to return to action—likely to happen this summer—he’s kept busy with a creative animated side project for the web and as many live-and-in-person gigs as he can find. Fortunately, he’s found another local spot just off the Strip and fashioned a hybrid live-and-livestream show, Uncapped Comedy, that relies on interactivity with the audience. Cap talked to us about his series of shows at the Space, his Cartoon Comic videos and much more this week.
How did you come up with this concept?
Once I knew I wasn’t going to be able to go and do a new hour of stand-up every month, I went to this thing I’ve wanted to try for a long time. So we’re passing the hat around to the live audience and they write down some suggestions for topics, and we try to keep it to five words or less, then I go onstage and just wing it. It’s really fun because it’s interactive, the audience feels invested in it and it’s fun for me because I get to see where it goes. And if the show sucks, it’s their fault!
Did you do any shows with only virtual audiences last year?
I had been working on an animated project for the last six or seven years, but I can’t draw, which is why it took so long. But I’ve been wanting to turn myself and my stand-up comedy into a cartoon for a while, so when live audiences were essentially illegal, this was adaptable to the situation. I contacted a really great animator, Xeth Feinberg, and recorded some stand-up in my bathroom with a bunch of soundproofing pads up, and we called them Cartoon Comic and put ’em on YouTube, Facebook and my website. It’s a unique approach because the thing about doing shows on Zoom is, it just seemed like the type of thing I would feel bad about taking people’s money for. It’s just not the right setting for me. I think other guys can score with it but for me, I need some sort of energy, and the animation gives you something more to watch.
You moved to Las Vegas recently. How long have you been playing Vegas?
I’ve been coming for years. Back in the early and mid 2000s, I used to do the Riviera at least once a year, then I went to South Point for a while, and that was where I recorded my last hour-long special. And then in late 2017, I got a call from Harrah’s and I started doing the residency show there in May 2018.
Harrah’s has been able to bring back several shows already, and it sounds like the resort is getting ready to do more with live entertainment again.
My poster is still up outside so I guess they haven’t totally given up on that idea. But yeah, I think they still have the intent of bringing the show back when they can bring all the others back, and I would love to get back to it. The first couple of weeks (during the shutdown) was kind of nice, but it started to feel pretty weird after a while. You just don’t feel like yourself.
It seems like there’s been a bit of a comedy boom in Vegas in recent years with new clubs opening up. From the comedian’s perspective, does it feel like this is an even more desirable destination?
Absolutely. When you have multiple venues that, as a comic, if you’re not under contract, you can make your way around to, it creates a really cool vibe and energy. It attracts more developing comics, too. Before the last few years, I don’t think someone could take Vegas as a place to get started. When you have a lot of places and comics, it creates an artistic colony vibe, and that’s really essential to developing comedy at all stages of the game.
Uncapped Comedy, May 11 at 7:30 p.m., $49 in person, $9 livestream. The Space, 3460 Cavaretta Court, 702.903.1070, thespacelv.com.
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