Worcester’s ‘Sort of Late Show’ Drawing Big Numbers

Friday, November 14, 2014

Patrick Sargent, GoLocal Worcester Contributor

Host of "The Sort of Late Show," Shaun Connolly

On Thursday night at The Lucky Dog in Worcester, the place is standing-room only and full of laughs. The "Sort of Late Show," hosted by Shaun Connolly, has found a niche to get crowds in early and get them to stay. If fun is what you're looking for, look no further.

The Sort of Late Show originally began over two years ago at Beatnik's on Park Avenue in Worcester. When Beatnik's ownership changed hands, Connolly and the Late Show had to find another venue. "The show will be three years old this coming May," said Connolly. "We have full technology here at Lucky Dog."

"It's always been a dream of mine. I've always loved watching (David) Letterman and growing up I would watch PBS infomercials of Jonny Carson. I was always interested in variety shows. And after all these years, this formula has really stuck. Today, people are talking about Jimmy Fallon all the time, and when Conan was fired from NBC, that's all people talked about then," said Connolly.

The Sort of Late Show

The show itself opens up with local comedian Doug Guertin, playing the Andy Richter-Steve Higgins role, introducing Connolly and The Over-Qualified Band. "The band is the best part of the show," said Guertin.

"There's completely no script," said Connolly about his back and forth with Guertin. "We just roll with it. It's just the two of us being friends. It's how we always talk to each other."

Guertin said, "There's zero preparation. By far the most fun thing I do and all I have to do is show up and try to make Shaun laugh."

When Guertin introduced Connolly up on stage, he referred to Connolly having a new desk every month and "next month's desk will be Kim Kardashian's ass." Following the introduction, Connolly, much like late night television hosts, went right into a monologue. Connolly covered everything from an Oxford bartender's dentures to AC/DC's Phil Rudd ("He wanted dirty deeds done cheap," Connolly said) to politics not being "appropriate Thanksgiving talk."

All the Connollys are Involved

The monologue was followed by the debut of "A Nice Little Spot," a video of a visit to a local area restaurant with his Connolly and his mom, Donna. This first episode was filmed at New England Roast Beef on Park Ave. "It wasn't my idea for her to be part of the show," said Connolly. "I called her out in a newspaper that covered our first show and she hasn't missed once since. Before tonight, she would just heckle me from the crowd, yelling things like "That's not true!"

Connolly's father, Tim, has been on the show multiple times to talk politics. His brother, Mark "Mookie", is the singer for the Over-Qualified band.

Comedian Peter Martin Has Them in Tears

"This place looks like if Sons of Anarchy was bought out by an Applebee's," said comedian Peter Martin to describe the Lucky Dog. Martin, a comic in residence at the Comedy Studio and a judge at the upcoming Boston Comedy Festival, made fun of himself for his weight, his balding, and for going to McDonald's by himself. "Going bald is your body's way of saying you're not dying, but wrap it up," said Martin.

Martin, from Boston, told the audience that Stone Cold Steve Austin was a father figure to him, described how lasagna is more difficult to make than babies, and the most surprising thing to him at an adults only store was the pornography on Blu-Ray.

Martin performs next at "The Gas," a local comedy show at Great Scott in Allston.

What's Up Next

This month's show was sponsored by FoolProof Brewery from Pawtucket, RI and featured Photographer Louie Despres of Worcester. Despres has been a photographer for 25 years and focuses on the night-life and music scene in Worcester. When Connolly asked "Why Worcester?," Despres responded, "Worcester sucks you in. It's like Velcro."

The next show is on Thursday December 11th at Lucky Dog. The show will be sponsored by Polar Beverages and will feature comedian Matt Kona. Entrance is $5 at the door. Past shows can be seen on The Sort of Late Show Channel on YouTube.

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