Veteran comedian Ralphie May’s popularity exploded after the success of the first season of NBC’s hit reality series, “Last Comic Standing”. Long-time fans of Ralphie’s stand-up were joined by countless new fans when America thought he was robbed of the winner’s title. Despite the show’s outcome, Ralphie’s special brand of comedy combines the familiar elements of hip-hop and topical comedy with a dash of southern down-home flavor and quick wit making Ralphie May one of the most popular comedians in the country. His first DVD, appropriately titled “Just Correct,” went PLATINUM! Released on February 10th of 2004 by Melee Entertainment, a division of DreamWorks, the collection has been described as “fresh and very, very funny.” The DVD also includes footage of his USO Tour to Iraq where he could be seen swimming in Saddam Hussein’s pool.

Raw Material

"How do you get material?" People always ask me that because I write about 2 and a half new hours of material every year. It's easy. You play a game with yourself every time you go on stage. Every new joke is 5 points. Every new tag line is 2 points. Rearranging your material is 1 point. Try to get a minimum of 10 points per show. When I do a headline set, I’ll average anywhere from 60-70 points.

New joke

26 year veteran Elliott Threatt has appeared on shows such as A&E Comedy on the road, Showtime, Comedy Club Network and HBO's Comic Relief! He has toured musical concerts with famed stars Patti LaBelle to George Jones. He most recently won the HBO U.S.Comedy Art Open Award in Kansas City.

His early comedy partners included Sinbad, Dennis Miller, Louie Anderson and the late Bill Hicks and Sam Kinison. After college he moved to Los Angeles and began show casing the Improvisation and Comedy Store. He was a regular and house EMCEE at the famed Ice House in Pasadena. At the age of 22 Elliott became a national touring headliner. He was runner up for Ellen Degeneres in the Showtime's Funniest in America Contest.

Elliott first released CD, "Biscuits Made From Scratch and Other Funny Stuff," was nominated for a Grammy.



Elliott Threatt, Andrea Caspari, Brad Meehan

Advice from the Green Room: What have you been up to?

Do You...

Comedian Henry Welch took the stage at the Kansas City Improv April 17, 2007. Now hailing from Atlanta, GA, Welch had to follow 6 local comedians and win over the fatigued crowd. He did so with deft wit and by punctuating his jokes with unique phrases, such as, “Y’all ain’t ready for me!” Welch got his start in Birmingham, AL, where he began comedy in 1987. He began his full-time career in 1994, and now travels around the country each week, entertaining crowds in various cities such as Miami, Richmond, Cincinnati, Columbus, and Baltimore. This was Welch’s first time back to Kansas City since he performed about 6 years ago for a New Years party. Friendly and accommodating, Welch and I sat down in the Green Room so I could find out how he manages to energize new crowds yet remain so clean. (Inside tip: he performs as if the women in his family are in the audience!)

Henry Welch