The first Improv Cage Match of the year will be held Friday at West Hartford’s Playhouse on Park, followed by Comedy Night on Saturday.

Knuckle Puck. Submitted photo

Romantic Baby. Submitted photo

History of the Future. Submitted photo

Submitted

Improv Cage Match

It s the first Improv Cage Match of the year at Playhouse on Park on Friday, Jan. 8, and we need you to be the judge! That’s right, if you think you know what tickles your funny bone the best, this is your chance to attend and pick the winner!

Introducing the contenders: KnucklePuck, History of the Future, and Romantic Baby! All three teams will compete head to head for a cash prize. The victor is invited to return to defend their title at the next show of the series.

KnucklePuck is comprised of four wild kids – all Connecticut natives – teaming up to annihilate the crowd work game through teamwork, physicality, and a whole lot of crazy.

The History of the Future met one stormy day, taking a Duck Tour of the Hartford suburbs when suddenly violent bolts of lightning struck the water and massive whirlpool sucked them into a time vortex! After passing the same blue police call box several times, the group emerged in the year 2015.  After much griping about how Noah, the tour bus driver, had failed to part the seas, the group ditched the truck on the side of I-91 and set off to tell their story. Predictably, the group never took the time to write any of this down and instead insists upon telling this history in a series of unscripted performances with the help of their audience. The result continues to be, the History of the Future!

Romantic Baby is a subsection of Sea Tea Improv, Hartford’s premiere improvisational comedy company. The team formed on a road trip to The Cradle of Liberty, Boston, Massachusetts, after a discussion about the genderization of infants. Romantic Baby is all women and all business. When the team is fully met, Casey Grambo, Laura Manasewich, Stephanie “Sproffee” Rice, and Julia Ludovici Pistell are all in the room.

The Cage Match commences at 8 p.m. sharp, with doors opening at 7:30 p.m. All tickets are a steal at only $10, general admission seating. This is a BYOB event.

Start Your New Year With Comedy at Playhouse on Park

The next Comedy Night is set for Saturday, Jan. 9 at Playhouse on Park! Catch a respite from the frigid temperatures outside and warm up with some laughter! The first performance is set for 7 p.m. and for those who prefer late night laughs, come for more giggles at 10 p.m.! Comedy Night features co-headliners Linda Belt and Eddie Clark.

Linda Belt is a New Jersey native (a comedy routine in itself). She moved to Connecticut

Linda Belt. Submitted photo

in 1987 where she became a suburban pillar of the community attending PTO meetings and baseball games. Linda became very tired holding up that pillar and instead holds her own as a professional stand up comic. Her humor touches on the absurdities of modern life and explores marriage, sex, parenting and social mores, in other words: any subject she feels like discussing! Linda has performed throughout the US and Canada and has been featured in a number of comedy festivals. As a full-time working comic, she can be found at various local & national venues, fundraisers , private and corporate events. Linda was profiled in the Hartford Courant, The Chicago Tribune and The New Jersey Star Ledger. She has appeared on affiliates of NBC and ABC as well as PBS.

Eddie Clark. Submitted photo

Old enough to remember the sixties yet young enough to enjoy the new millennium, Eddie Clark is still one of the hardest working comics on the circuit today. His quick wit and funny stories, combined with his masterful characters, are a hit with audiences all over. This former Carson Long Military Institute graduate, U.S. Marine, Mount Vernon N.Y. police officer and security officer for the U.S. State Dept. was born in Jamaica, QUEENS, NY and raised in the city of Mount Vernon, NY, where he developed his ability to induce laughter from total strangers. Eddie’s humor is a blend of personal experiences and everyday life. Whether talking about moving from the projects to a middle class neighborhood, being a police officer setting up a speed trap, acid reflux or why you cant win a argument with a woman, Eddie brings his vast experiences to all his performances.