Brad Garrett did not have it easy for the first half of his life. By 1997, the over-6-foot-8-inch comedian decided he wanted to live a life of sobriety and start fresh with a clean slate that would enable him to be the best family man he could be. He then realized he needed a purpose bigger than himself to ensure he’d never fall back into self-medicating. He needed his own comedy club.
By 2009, he got one in his beloved Las Vegas, where he opened for Frank Sinatra, among many other classic entertainers, in the ’80s. It was sort of a destination within MGM Grand, with an old-school feel, a bar and clamshell footlights. Garrett had a foundation that guaranteed he could do what he loved, provide work for his peers and nurture generations of comics.
Now Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club has moved to The District at MGM Grand. Its lounge, featuring live music by Ashley Fuller and the Collective on Fridays and Saturdays, is open to passersby. Garrett, best known for his long-running role as Robert Barone on ABC sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, takes the stage frequently. (Six appearances are scheduled for August, including this Thursday and Friday night.) He’s a bridge between old-school comedy and contemporary social observation stand-up, and has a penchant for crowd work. Front-row audience members can count on being part of the show.
This week’s featured comics include Alonzo Bodden, Rob Little and Randy Kagan. The latter comedian may be familiar to fans of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, as he both appeared on and wrote for the nocturnal CBS series. Kagan opened for Ferguson on tour after coming up through the ranks at The Improv in Los Angeles and being an on-air correspondent for MTV movie program The Big Picture.
Little is an extrovert with a gregarious, self-deprecating style and a contagiously optimistic demeanor. Having discovered George Carlin at age 5, he nonetheless pursued a button-down career trajectory as a computer programmer until, he says, IBM sent out a company-wide email that told employees to follow their dreams if they weren’t happy at their jobs. Little did just that.
He studied improv with venerable sketch-comedy institution Second City and incorporated the knowledge into his act, as well as gigs with Fox Sports’ The Best Damn Sports Show Period and Last Call with Carson Daly. His latest comedy special, 2020’s Political Correctness Has Gone Too Far, can be found at Dry Bar Comedy’s YouTube channel.
Bodden’s latest special, Heavy Lightweight, can be viewed on Prime, but listeners of Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me! may be familiar with the voice last heard on the June episode of NPR’s weekly quiz show featuring comedian panelists. He’s also appeared on NPR’s Comedy Congress and online political news show The Young Turks. Bodden doesn’t shy away from politics, although he’s been open about how the increasing absurdity of current events is causing him to have to up his game. Catch him in the act every night this week.
MGM Grand. 21+. bradgarrettcomedy.com
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