Fort Collins First Summer Solo Comedy Festival

A trifecta of solo comedy performances arrive at The Lincoln Center’s Magnolia Theater this July 28-30. THE BOOK OF MORON, H@PPYVILLE and STAND-UP JESUS make up the hilarious line-up for the first SUMMER SOLO COMEDY FESTIVAL here in Ft. Collins. All three comedies have toured extensively throughout the country but the actors/playwrights are home-grown Coloradans, Robert Dubac and Dave Shirley.

The SUMMER SOLO COMEDY FESTIVAL runs for three nights, July 28, 29 & 30, at the intimate MAGNOLIA THEATER at THE LINCOLN CENTER. Showtimes are 7:30 pm. Advance tickets are $25, $30 at the door. Bundle ticket prices are $44 for any two performances and $66 for all three shows. (No fees if purchased in person at the box office.) Tickets are on sale now by phone at 970-221-6730 or online at lctix.com or at The Lincoln Center theatre box office, open Tuesday – Saturday, 12-6 pm. Tickets go on sale July 6.

THE SOLO SHOWS

July 28 – 7:30 pm THE BOOK OF MORON has been praised by the nation’s critics as one of the most “Hilarious”, “Intelligent” and “Scorching” satirical attacks on idiocracy since Mark Twain.  (And “idiocracy” isn’t even a word. How dumb is that?)  If your sense of humor has been anesthetized by the “idiocracy” of “duh-America” then wake it up with razor-sharp wit from THE BOOK OF MORON!  Funny has never been this smart!

July 29 – 7:30 pm H@PPYVILLE will bring you on one of the most memorable rides of your life! Hilarious and high-tech, magical and musical, H@PPYVILLE is a wondrous place packed with fantasy, technology, and a love story that crisscrosses between analog and digital worlds. Described as “The 40-Year-Old Virgin meets The Blue Man Group!” H@PPYVILLE will have you blurting out, “Wait, WTF? How did that happen? THAT’S AWESOME!” ​

July 30 – 7:30 pm STAND-UP JESUS brings our lord and savior back to earth but this time he’s no carpenter. He’s a stand-up comedian. Join him as he channels what God created on the eighth day. Comedy! Who better to battle the hypocrisy of modern-day evangelism than STAND-UP JESUS! It’s a Second Coming blessed with punchlines. Heaven help us? Hell, yeah!

MORE SHOW INFO

Robert Dubac’s THE BOOK OF MORON opens the festival on Thursday night, July 28. In this side-splitting intelligent satire, Dubac plays an everyman stuck in a coma of stupidity. Having been brainwashed by a culture that worships image over character, reality TV over reality, and selfies over self-effacement; Dubac begins his comic awakening with one simple question. Who am I? What do I believe? What’s the point? Okay, that’s three questions but suffice to say, he has no answers. Just voices. Inner voices who come to life with precision and wit. One by one they pull him into a hysterical parallel universe of critical thought in search of the lost bigger picture.  It’s a head trip on a banana peel.

PBS raves, “In 90 uninterrupted minutes of altogether irresistible satire he ingeniously nails the current regrettable state of the nation and the world at large.” The Chicago Sun-Times adds, “THE BOOK OF MORON is ingeniously crafted, winningly mischievous and a flawlessly delivered tone-perfect rumination on religion, race, sex, politics, the media and, above all, that elusive thing called truth.”

Dave Shirley’s H@PPYVILLE is scheduled for Friday night, July 29. This enchanting multi-media romance is packed with eye-popping vaudevillian feats and spectacular technology all set to the soundtrack of our lives. H@PPYVILLE is a slice of utterly unique modern theater so hysterical you can’t help but blurt out, “Wait, WTF? How did that happen? THAT’S AWESOME!”  It is a fantasy where you can buy happiness online, find romance inside a jumbotron, and risk life and death juggling razor-sharp knives. It’s a wondrous place where you can grow a new pair of hands, communicate without speaking a word and hunt an evil house cat who delivers body parts via FedEx. Hilarious and high-tech, magical and musical, beautiful and touching, H@PPYVILLE is an alternate universe of special effects that tickles the funny bone of both young and old.

The Denver Post and St. Louis Dispatch both applaud H@PPYVILLE as, “An extraordinary theater experience! Consistently clever and laugh-out-loud funny!”

STAND-UP JESUS closes the festival on Saturday night, July 30, and guarantees to be as hysterical as it is irreverent. For those who have ever prayed for Jesus to return as a stand-up comedian, your prayers have been answered. Shining the light of truth on false prophets, duplicitous politicians, and immoral sheeple; JC’s razor-sharp wit has been intelligently designed to redeem sinners of all faiths. Come bear witness to a truth that hurts and a truth that’s funny with STAND-UP JESUS. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done; and it will be done with the miracle of divine satire! Who better to battle the hypocrisy of modern-day evangelism? So brace yourselves, the second coming is no longer coming.  It’s here!

His ecclesiastical reviews are stellar: “Christ, he’s funny! -Moses  | “He’s more famous than the Beatles!” -Matthew, Mark, Luke and John | “Funny, yeah, but he can’t take a joke.” -Judas  | “Now we know what the “H” stands for… HILARIOUS!” -Mohammed

ACTOR/PLAYWRIGHT BIOS

Robert Dubac draws on decades of showbiz experience as a writer, actor, director, and stand-up comedian to create solo shows that explore social mores, political ideas, and the complexity of the human experience. He belongs to a rare breed of humorists who make comedy smart and tragedy funny. His unique characters boggle our minds with rapid-fire satire while simultaneously crafting simple stories that bind us together. One thing is for sure, nothing like this can be seen on TV.

Dave Shirley honed his unique humor through improvisation and sketch comedy. He created the Rattlebrain Theater Co in Denver, Colorado, where he directed, wrote, and produced years of critically acclaimed and widely popular music and comedy revues. After being discovered by AMERICA’S GOT TALENT, his most memorable bits have now been seen and applauded by millions. He proves that comedy can go far beyond standing on a stage with a microphone. It can be captured by your eyes, processed through your id, and injected straight into your funny bone.