The Improv is where stand-up comedy goes to thrive. Launched by the late comedy impresario Budd Friedman in New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen in 1963, the Improv stage has been graced by comedic legends such as Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Robin Williams, Eddie Murphy, Billy Crystal, and Jay Leno. Since the 1970s, the Improv has expanded to over 20 locations nationwide, including Los Angeles, Houston, Denver, Chicago, and Miami.
Netflix is honoring the comedy chain’s remarkable 60-year legacy by featuring 10 acclaimed comedians in the Hollywood stage spectacular, Improv: 60 and Still Standing. This is set to premiere on November 7th.
According to Anjelah Johnson-Reyes, who recently released her own special on YouTube, “When I was asked to be a part of it, I immediately [felt] — what do they call it? — impostor syndrome. Almost like, ‘What? Me? Why me? I get to be a part of this. No way. Like how cool,'”
Joining Johnson-Reyes on stage will be Bert Kreischer, Craig Robinson, Deon Cole, Fortune Feimster, Jeff Dunham, Kevin Nealon, Mark Normand, Jo Koy, and Whitney Cummings. This powerhouse lineup will be complemented by rare archival footage showcasing notable comedians such as Adam Sandler, Jerry Seinfeld, Sarah Silverman, Ray Romano, David Spade, Dave Attell, Wanda Sykes, Margaret Cho and the late Norm Macdonald.
As a celebration, Johnson-Reyes, Feimster, and Cummings shared their experiences with the Improv, their comedic beginnings, and how their approach to stand-up has evolved
According to Whitney Cummings, “I started in comedy in L.A., which I actually highly recommend for people…I think childhood, I mean how far are we going back? Alcoholic home. Tried to get attention from drunk parents, that’s probably when I started-started or knew I wanted to be or had to be an entertainer.”
Anjelah Johnson-Reyes shared her experience, “I took a class at a church. I know, who started stand-up comedy at a church? Not many people. But Angela Johnson did. I took a free joke-writing stand-up comic class at church on like Tuesday nights.”
Fortune Feimster, on the other hand, revealed, “It started at the legendary L.A. improv theater Groundlings. I started in improv and sketch. I felt that was like my path, was doing characters and improvising and I loved it. I was at the Groundlings for like six years, but this comedian came to a show of mine. I was doing a sketch show and she says, “Why aren’t you doing stand-up? Your voice is so specific.””
When asked how they knew they had ‘made it’, Whitney Cummings shared, “I would say probably the first round of Comedy Central Roasts that I did. I did the Joan Rivers roast and that was the first one that I did and I ran the jokes at the Improv. … The night before, I was able to test my jokes out of the Improv and I was like, “They work here, I must be OK.””
Reflecting on how stand-up comedy has changed over the years, Fortune Feimster mentioned, “I think it has come more into the place of storytelling. It did not used to be like that. Long stories were not the thing that people did when I started out, it was very much setup, punchline.”
Cummings noted, “I think evolution has evolved as I have evolved as a person. I think when you’re a younger comedian, you’re just kind of trying to figure out how to tell a joke. You talk about what you are going through as a person.”
