The art of comedy is said to be in the timing. The delivery of a joke and subtle pauses for effect are essential to keeping the audience laughing. This is something that comedian Brian Regan has been perfecting in his nearly 40 years of comedy.
Regan has been doing stand-up comedy since the ’80s. After dropping out of college his senior year, he got his start at the Comic Strip comedy club in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. “I had to audition a few times, and when I passed my audition I just kind of worked there for a little over two years to get good enough to go out on the road,” Regan said. He hit the road in 1984, performing around the country at different comedy clubs and venues. “Comedy was just exploding at that time, and I was very fortunate to be able to catch that wave,” Regan said. “It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed it.”
Regan is still on the road most weekends, but takes time off to see family and work on new projects. His recent project, a new show on Netflix called “Stand Up and Away!” was released in 2018, with Jerry Seinfeld serving as executive producer. The four-part series mixes stand-up comedy, sketches and audience interaction. Regan brainstormed the idea as a way to convey his material through a new medium.
As for getting Jerry Seinfeld on board, Regan said, “I’m very fortunate that Jerry has been a supporter of mine and my comedy for a long time. He had seen a Radio City stand-up show that I had done and reached out to me saying that he’d like to help me get a TV show.” Regan pitched his idea for “Stand Up and Away!” to Jerry, who instantly loved it, and together they pitched it to Netflix.
This was not Regan’s first time working with Netflix. He has a special deal to do two stand-up comedy shows. The first, “Nunchucks and Flamethrowers,” was released in 2017. The second begins filming later this year, aiming for a Christmas release in 2020.
Regan can also add actor to his resume with his role in Peter Farrelly and Bobby Mort’s “Loudermilk,” an American comedy series that tells the story of Sam Loudermilk (Ron Livingston), a recovering alcoholic and substance abuse counselor. Regan’s character is Mugsy, a jokester with a drinking problem coping with estrangement from his family.
“It’s a show about abuse, it’s a dark comedy and it can be a little rough sometimes in terms of subject matter and content,” Regan said. “But I enjoy the opportunity to be able to act, and the subject matter is important, so I’m proud to be a part of it.”
Regan became involved in “Loudermilk” after Farrelly watched his performance at a comedy festival and offered him a role. “You don’t get many opportunities like this in life, and I was very flattered with that,” Regan said. “The next thing I knew, he had followed through with what he had offered and gave me a role in the show.” The show has aired two seasons on Audience Network, with a third season premiering soon.
Brian Regan will bring his stand-up comedy act to the Jon M. Huntsman Center at the University of Utah on Nov. 9 at 8 p.m. Tickets for the show can be purchased here.
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