Send Off 2019 with One Last Laugh!
‘Tis the season to be jolly! We are so excited to be hosting the very funny Juston McKinney for our traditional Last Laugh at the end of December (12/27, 28, 29). His three shows sold out quickly last year so don’t wait to make him part of your holiday plans; you won’t want to miss him! Our Deputy Programming Director, Thérèse LaGamma, caught up with Juston to talk about his process.
How do you prepare for a show?
Ideally I take an afternoon nap, which my wife thinks is ridiculous because I’m a grown man. So now I tell her I’m meditating and lay there with my eyes closed. For some reason she’s okay with that.
What inspires your writing?
Probably stress and pressure. Knowing on January 1st that I have to write an all new show for The Music Hall by the end of the year really gets the creative juices flowing.
Tell us about your writing process. Is there somewhere special you go to write?
I just observe and record what I see and what people around me do. I spend a lot of time at my local coffee shop, which ironically as I write this, is closed today. Living in a small town can be like the movie My Cousin Vinny when the whole store was closed because they had the flu. There was a note on the coffee shop that read, “recovering from a crazy wedding, we’ll be back tomorrow.” So will I.
Do you test out your material at home?
Unfortunately, being a stand-up comedian living in Newmarket, there are not many places to get up on stage, so I often have to use my family as a test audience. My kids usually laugh; my wife rarely does. I think deep down she wants a refund on this marriage. I tell her if she had a two drink minimum she might laugh more.
Tell us what you are currently reading?
Healing Back Pain by Dr. Sarno, as I recently hurt my back. Thousands of people have cured their back pain just by reading this book and believing in it. I am trying my best to believe in it, as it cost only $9.99 and that’s less than one co-pay.
You’ll be bringing your popular end of the year show to The Music Hall this December. What are you most excited about?
I’m always excited about building this show every year with the visual slides. The first time I do it will be at The Music Hall, and it is all new material from the previous year so it’s exciting to see it all come together.