A funny thing happened on the way to me writing this press sheet for Johnny Kavanaugh. I already knew he was a funny guy, to put it mildly, but I discovered a comedy craftsman who can hold his own against (and with) the brightest minds of contemporary standup. I'm tempted to use metaphors -- something like, "Johnny Kavanaugh has more great material than a thick bolt of satin."

But, frankly, Kavanaugh's standup can stand on its own two feet. The jokes you'll hear are not only absolutely original, they're absolutely hilarious. Kavanaugh is putting hecklers out of work. His style, you see, is conversational. Kavanaugh pokes fun at the everyday minutiae, the awkward moments most people can easily relate to. In general, so much comedy seems to be mean-spirited, or rely on old standby topics like politics or the travails of dating in the cruel modern world. Not Kavanaugh's. Here's a family man who comes by his laughs honestly. He believes a comedian is only as good as his last joke. Although Kavanaugh is faithful to nuclear-family humor, his jokes are explosive enough to jolt the most aloof playboy.

While his humor isn't G-rated (probably a good PG-13, but most likely there's an edited version for special occasions ), it's easy for the typical family man to relate to his hilarious, good-natured tales of strife and domestic misadventure. I've seen Kavanaugh reduce a packed Omaha audience to joyous tears of laughter. Not one heckler cried foul. Conveniently, Kavanaugh is large enough to be his own bouncer.

On another level, Kavanaugh has the rare gift of being completely unthreatening to headliners and enviably hilarious, all at the same time. He's able to hold his own when he's on the top of the bill and he can hold the stage when he's the opener. Kavanaugh, while a state-of-the-art comedian, comes from the old school of comedy. The days when one-liners actually had punch lines, when comics made fun of themselves instead of the next guy.


- Jordan Oakes