Huntington Street Cafe Hosts Comedy Night

The funniest place in Shelton this past Saturday night was the , where owner Peter Vouras hosted “HSC Comedy,” a night dedicated to the art of stand-up comedy. Vouras introduced each act to a packed house full of reserved seats, good food and a comfortable atmosphere. At $20 a ticket, café-goers got their money’s worth for a laugh-out-loud time.

The night started with two local comedians bringing a short set of material before the featured four took the stage. One of those comedians, Armand Muniz, got the audience warmed up with jokes about himself. 

First up for the featured four was 23-year-old Vinnie Pagano of New Britain. Armed with his guitar, Pagano played a hilarious mix of funny songs and impersonations. Performing since age 16, Pagano has made a handsome resume for himself, taking the stage at places such as Mohegan Sun Casino and the renowned Bitter End in Greenwich Village, NYC. To the audience, his style of humor is seen as awkward, but engaging. You can’t help but laugh when he rolls his eyes or appears to be in some sort of distress. 

Next up was Kathleen Roll, who has appeared in movies, commercials, plays, and to add to all that, has written as well. Roll’s joke-telling was absorbing, and kept the audience attentive for the rewarding punch-line. 

Keeping with the girls for the night was Marla Schultz, a New Yorker with a fresh and down-to-earth approach to comedy. Her stories about living in Los Angeles and New York kept smiles on everyone’s faces as they enjoyed their wine and good company. Schultz’ impressions of her mother and other family members were quite memorable.

The fourth comic, and certainly not last, was headliner Andrew Kennedy, who, according to the HSC Comedy Night poster, was voted as “one of the top 20 comedians on Comedy Central.” Kennedy’s voice impressions of his father (“He’s like Mr. Magoo”, he noted at one point) was one of the highlights of his performance. Coming from a diverse background, he had a lot to work with for his material.

Sharing stories of growing up all around the world, learning new languages, and working on cruise ships played a heavy part in Kennedy's routine. He included funny comments about the headlines, and even made up an imaginary musical about President Bill Clinton’s presidency in the 1990’s. Kennedy’s approach to comedy was very animated and energetic, leaving the audience with smiles glued to their faces.

Huntington Street Café owner Peter Vouras said the event was “great, a good time”, and that this was his fifth time hosting the comedy night series at the café. With a packed house, reserved seats, and plenty of food and drink around, the event was a success, proving that there really is a way to have fun in Shelton on a Saturday night. 

For more information about Huntington Street Café, please visit www.huntingtonstreetcafe.com

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