1 Goldstar Member Review

Keith Wanta

I was a little disappointed with the event. I was sitting to the side of the stage so it was difficult to hear. I think the positioning of the speaker may have had something to do with it. I was disappointed with the room itself. It did not have enough air so it was a little stuffy. I noticed a couple of people falling asleep during the show.

Written on Nov 21 2011

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More Information About Brett Butler

Website

http://www.downtowncomedyclub.com/

Description

November 18 and 19, 2011: Guests for both dates include Margaret Cho and Vicki Barbolak.

Brett Butler has seduced comedy audiences with her baritone speaking-voice, and singular blend of candor, vulnerability and scathing Southern wit. She is best known for playing the title role in comedy series Grace Under Fire.

Born in Alabama and raised in Georgia, the comedienne that some have dubbed “a Southern Lenny Bruce” grew up alongside four younger sisters: Tana, Toren, Kristen and Katy whom Butler calls “all brilliant and funny.” She is named for Hemingway’s Lady Brett Ashley from The Sun Also Rises, but with her mother’s remarriage to Bob Butler, the 6-year-old Brett got a new name, an unintentional twist on another literary figure, albeit male, from Gone with the Wind.

“We were poor, but my mother was cultured and left-wing – just the thing they admire so much in the deep South,” recalls Butler, who performed her first comedy routine during a school pageant at the age of 8.

At 19, Butler endured a brief and turbulent marriage to Charles Michael Wilson, divorcing after three years. On her own again, she cocktail waitress at a honky-tonk in Texas, where Open Mike Night became a welcomed catharsis. Two years and a thousand shows later, Butler had honed her act and, at the urging of fellow comedian and supporter Robert Klein, she loaded up her 1969 Grand Prix and drove to New York City. It was the first time Butler had ever left the South.

“I had all these years of Southern white guilt, and then I moved to New York and found that people are the same everywhere,” says Butler, who calls New York “my brave new world.”

Her act translated well to the New York stage, and within two years she was performing for Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show, returning a mere six months later. She appeared as a guest star or performer on more than 70 television comedy series and specials before landing her own one-woman show, the highly rated Showtime comedy special, Brett Butler: The Child Ain’t Right. In 1994, she followed this with a second Showtime special, Brett Butler: Sold Out. She has also been honored to host several prestigious television events and specials, among them the 1995 People’s Choice Awards and 1995 Ford Theater Gala for the President.  

Butler’s career came to a turning point when ABC approached The Carsey-Werner Company about developing a comedy series around a single mother. Company vice president David Tochterman saw Butler in New York and was immediately taken with her honest style and original writing.

Twelve years of talking about her life onstage paid off with the starring role on ABC’s Grace Under Fire. Butler portrays a recently divorced mother of three facing the perils of single parenthood. Butler’s portrayal of the sharp-tongued and resourceful oil refinery worker earned a 1994 People’s Choice Award for Favorite Female in a New Series, with the show itself honored as Favorite New Comedy and, in 1995, Butler was voted Best Actress in a Comedy Series by Viewers for Quality Television. She also received a 1994 Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy Series and, in 1995, was nominated for Best Actress in a Comedy Series by The People’s Choice Awards and American Comedy Awards.

Recently, Butler’s autobiography Knee Deep in Paradise was published by Hyperion and received unanimous praise from critics for its “distinctive literary voice” as well as for its honest portrayal of her life.

A comedienne by trade, Butler is still eagerly learning the nuances of acting. “Stand-up is like drawing with a primary color crayon – it’s a beautiful and satisfying world – but acting is like having the big box of 148!” she says.

About the Ticket Supplier: Downtown Comedy Club

Downtown Comedy Club is Downtown Los Angeles' FIRST AND ONLY comedy club. Their goal is to bring the best in standup comedy to downtown Los Angeles. Forget about the hassle of driving to Hollywood and paying $25.00 to park on Sunset Blvd, while having to mortgage your house so you can pay the cover charge and buy a couple of water-filled drinks. The Downtown Comedy Club is going to change all of that with our personal guarantee: If you aren't completely satisfied with every aspect of your experience, the club will refund your money.......NO QUESTIONS ASKED!