Prop comedy 'WID' a few puns

Some collectors store their treasures up in an attic or go out to get them appraised.

Mike Baldwin uses them for puns.

Baldwin, who performs under the name the Legendary WID, will take the stage at this weekend with his unique brand of props-and-puns comedy.

The WID delivers his act with a spitfire, almost manic, persistence, rarely giving his audience the time to think before picking up the next item and throwing out a pun, often combining multiple props and going back to certain ones throughout the show.

He might place a colander on his head—"I'm under strain up here"—or disassemble a toy boat, hand it to an audience member and say, "take a bow."

Baldwin said the key to keeping his act fresh is to keep his props half or 3/4 organized, which allows him to pick up certain props at will and gives him the opportunity to use new ones or some he's never used before.

"I might keep certain stuff for a long time before I find something to do with it," he said. "I'll carry it around until the inspiration strikes."

The WID also tries to involve the audience in his act.

"I ask them the basic questions and try to find a joke or a gag among my many props to sort of represent what they do," he said.

Baldwin, who grew up in Cranford, said he has always had a love for stuff and collectable objects, always checking out thrift stores and flea markets.

This eventually led to him owning an antique store in New Brunswick, where he received his inspiration to go into comedy. When customers would come into the shop, Baldwin would play with the props, using his sense of humor—puns, of course—to sell the items.

"I've been doing puns all my life, and, being in the antique business, I liked using the stuff," he said.

From there, he tried his hand at gong shows, which were just beginning to wane in popularity during the early 1980s, and eventually led him down to open mic nights in Philadelphia, his current residence, where his act began to take off.

Although he has been performing his act for nearly 30 years now, he said that, early in his career, he had to fight the common prejudice among comedians of puns and props being lower—almost taboo—forms of comedy.

"That's one of the reasons I got into it, being a rebel myself," he said. "I was told early on not to do props and not to do puns, and I said to myself, 'Well, that's sort of what I like.'"

However, the Legendary WID is still going strong after all these years, fueled by Baldwin's love of props, which he continues to collect at thrift stores and flea markets, and overall audience appreciation.

"People seem to like my stuff because it's sort of timeless," Baldwin said. "It isn't mean, and it doesn't make you think too much. I can do some stuff I've done for 20 years, and it still resonates."

Although Baldwin sprinkles his act with other types of jokes here and there, he said he is still most fond of the props and puns, which he believes have a longer shelf life than a monologue or traditional setup joke about current events.

"It's a hard row to hoe," Baldwin said, "but at least I'm not a mime."

Baldwin will perform at 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Comedy Cove at Scotty's Steak House. His set will be preceded by comedians John Kensil and Jason Pollack. Tickets are $12. Visit the club's website for more information.