Comedian, Former Resident Ross Encourages Laughter

The "Comedy under the Tent" event, as part of the Katherine Endicott Foundation's Oktoberfest festivities, left crowds in stitches Saturday night as former Dedham resident, and headlining comedian, Patty Ross brought her brand of self-deprecating, yet motivational humor to the tables.

 "It was [probably] a mistake to book me for this," said Tom Dustin and host of the evening. "I'm a club act: I'm typically dirty. Well not necessarily 'dirty,' but edgy." Dustin was reluctant to perform as clean as he did, but he was mindful of the abundance of "blue hairs" in the audience at the earlier show of the two scheduled. "I'll probably get a bit rougher in the second act."

The headliner, Patty Ross, certainly had a sharp enough tongue, one that whipped a lively reaction out of a crowd of more mature Dedham citizens. 

The second show, a somewhat later one, sold out, and its coalescing audience members appeared to be right up these comics' alleys. As the line formed at the door, everyone knew what they were getting themselves into. One die-hard fan of Ross's actually flew from Ireland and made a point of seeing her perform. "He's my stalker," Ross kidded. 

Ross, who used to live in Dedham before she moved to Los Angeles to pursue show business, said that what she says on stage is mostly the truth. "It's exhausting to be [me]."

With a burned-out demeanor and carving, raspy voice, she used a lot of self-deprecating humor onstage, saying in one bit how attractive young girls "think that because they're so good looking, no one else can hear what they were saying." From a lady's room stall she recalled them saying in front of the mirror about her, "If I ever get that fat, just shoot me. But I don't take it personally I was the same way when I was their age. I said the same things. What is it with using guns and bullets: saying 'just shoot me…' about everything. 

"Well when I went to my high school reunion and everyone had gotten fat, I said 'ladies, hold your fire.'"

This was a common joke structure she seemed to employ, one which involved personal redemption through her sense of humor, a triumph of sorts over difficult circumstances. 

Redemption jokes as such were met with applause as well as laughter, applause being voluntary. She was the heroine you wanted to see win in her story, the narrative of her life. 

She said she still gets worked up before each show despite having been in the business for 20 years. 

Ross was first realized as T.V.-compatible by Tom Bergeron (known most notably these days as dry wit host of America's Home Videos and Dancing with the Stars) on a local talk show in which she did a stand-up set. Ross said she wants very much to get back on television, but settles for local venue gigs in the meantime. 

The comedy business, like many of performing arts, is about who you know. Ross had her connection through Bergeron, and added, "it's about making a good team. That's how television happens."

She finds work through her agent, like how she found her way back to Dedham, and lets him make order of her life. "I don't know what I'm doing tomorrow. I just looked at my book and it said I was doing this."

 Dustin, the opening act, works a little more proactively. He recently won a Canadian comic competition a la Last Comic Standing called the Great Canadian Laugh-Off, and was the only American in the contest. He was surprised, but proud, of earning his first television credit - not to mention $25,000.

As of late, he has branched out of New England for work, touring the Midwest and working full weeks for chains like the Improv Comedy Club and Funny Bone and "wherever you can go in-between."

Dustin jumped on the Dedham gig because he knew people like state representative and theater owner Paul McMurtry and John Tobin, a former city councilor who's responsible for booking acts.

Although he made a career out of politics, Tobin said he always found room for comedy.

"I loved politics, but I also always loved comedy. I've never performed. Like I love to watch the Red Sox, but never thought of playing. That's the way comedy ought to be," he said. "Stand-up is the hardest of [the arts]. There's a lot of pain in comedy – like being on a therapists couch and the crowd is the therapist. There are real responses."

Jenner Hayes mentioned that, after hearing word through local fliers and papers, she attended and enjoyed the music of the night prior and managed to bring her husband Brendan down for the next night. "We needed a laugh [so] we walked right down to the estate. We got a sitter for the night," Brendan Hayes said.

As the second show's final act, Ross, habitually jet-lagged as a bicoastal comic, fought hard to keep up her energy in spite of struggle and bags under beaming eyes.

"When this is done, I'll be ready for a coma," she said.

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