Published: Friday, April 4, 2008
Ray Romano still feels at home on stand-up stage
The popular comic from 'Everybody Loves Raymond' will bring his show to Seattle.
-
Ray Romano will perform his stand up act in Seattle with Brad Garrett.
-
Chris Rock is set to perform at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle.
Ray Romano rarely hesitates to make his family life the butt of a joke.
His sitcom, "Everybody Loves Raymond," often mirrored reality. Like his character, the comedian was the father of time-consuming twins and lived near his nosy parents. His marriage, and all its angst, were comic fodder.
His wife of 21 years, Anna Romano, must have thick skin.
"You know what, she's got a thick wallet," he joked. "She's learned to live with it in a very big house."
Romano, who earned $1.8 million an episode on "Everybody Loves Raymond," will bring his stand-up act to Seattle on Monday with Brad Garrett, who played his big brother, Robert Barone, on the hit sitcom.
Thanks to nine seasons on TV, most people know Romano. He's the guy with the nasal inflection, the one who prefers blue flannel shirts and jeans. He's an everyman who refers to himself with a trace of disdain as "a quote-unquote celebrity."
Romano's also an anxious sort. "60 Minutes" described him as "incredibly shy." Esquire magazine detailed neuroses about oral hygiene; he had more than a dozen bottles of unopened Scope in his office, at the ready.
He seems like the type that would get butterflies going on stage, but that's not the case. Stand-up is a "natural instinct."
"That's the odd part," Romano, 50, said. "I'm not nervous, but I'm more self-conscious when I'm talking to a person one-on-one than when I am up there, in front of a thousand people."
Romano has been slowly adding new material to his routine. During shows he may incorporate a gag about life as a celebrity or tailor a joke to a Las Vegas crowd. Most of his material, however, still focuses on his wife and kids, people who "don't treat me like a celebrity."
"My material was always about what was going on in my life, and by that I mean more like my personal life, my family life," he said. "That hasn't changed."
For stand-up appearances with Garrett, the men perform their routines separately, ending the night with an outtake reel from the sitcom and a question-and-answer session.
Romano tries to field questions, but Garrett often dominates the back-and-forth.
"A Q and A with him is an experience," Romano said of his 6-foot-8-inch co-star. "No matter what the Q is, he has a large and fast A."
Stand-up aside, Romano has remained busy since his show ended in 2005. He went to the Sundance Film Festival this year to promote "The Last Word," in which he co-stars with Winona Ryder. His voice will appear in the animated sequel, "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs." And he's preparing to star in a pilot for a TNT dramedy series.
Still, he has no intention of being like some comics -- Steve Martin, for example -- who abandon the stage for the screen.
"I don't think I can do that," he said. "It's kind of my calling."
Reporter Andy Rathbun: 425-339-3455 or e-mail arathbun@heraldnet.com
Stand-up standouts
Carlos Mencia: 8:30 p.m., Saturday, Emerald Queen Casino, Tacoma, $45 to $95.
Ray Romano and Brad Garrett: 8 p.m., Monday, Paramount Theatre, Seattle, $55 to $95.
Chris Rock: 7:30 p.m., April 10 and 11, Paramount Theatre, Seattle, $42.50 to $72.50.
Tickets available at www.ticketmaster.com. Prices do not include service charges or other fees.
His sitcom, "Everybody Loves Raymond," often mirrored reality. Like his character, the comedian was the father of time-consuming twins and lived near his nosy parents. His marriage, and all its angst, were comic fodder.
His wife of 21 years, Anna Romano, must have thick skin.
"You know what, she's got a thick wallet," he joked. "She's learned to live with it in a very big house."
Romano, who earned $1.8 million an episode on "Everybody Loves Raymond," will bring his stand-up act to Seattle on Monday with Brad Garrett, who played his big brother, Robert Barone, on the hit sitcom.
Thanks to nine seasons on TV, most people know Romano. He's the guy with the nasal inflection, the one who prefers blue flannel shirts and jeans. He's an everyman who refers to himself with a trace of disdain as "a quote-unquote celebrity."
Romano's also an anxious sort. "60 Minutes" described him as "incredibly shy." Esquire magazine detailed neuroses about oral hygiene; he had more than a dozen bottles of unopened Scope in his office, at the ready.
He seems like the type that would get butterflies going on stage, but that's not the case. Stand-up is a "natural instinct."
"That's the odd part," Romano, 50, said. "I'm not nervous, but I'm more self-conscious when I'm talking to a person one-on-one than when I am up there, in front of a thousand people."
Romano has been slowly adding new material to his routine. During shows he may incorporate a gag about life as a celebrity or tailor a joke to a Las Vegas crowd. Most of his material, however, still focuses on his wife and kids, people who "don't treat me like a celebrity."
"My material was always about what was going on in my life, and by that I mean more like my personal life, my family life," he said. "That hasn't changed."
For stand-up appearances with Garrett, the men perform their routines separately, ending the night with an outtake reel from the sitcom and a question-and-answer session.
Romano tries to field questions, but Garrett often dominates the back-and-forth.
"A Q and A with him is an experience," Romano said of his 6-foot-8-inch co-star. "No matter what the Q is, he has a large and fast A."
Stand-up aside, Romano has remained busy since his show ended in 2005. He went to the Sundance Film Festival this year to promote "The Last Word," in which he co-stars with Winona Ryder. His voice will appear in the animated sequel, "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs." And he's preparing to star in a pilot for a TNT dramedy series.
Still, he has no intention of being like some comics -- Steve Martin, for example -- who abandon the stage for the screen.
"I don't think I can do that," he said. "It's kind of my calling."
Reporter Andy Rathbun: 425-339-3455 or e-mail arathbun@heraldnet.com
Stand-up standouts
Carlos Mencia: 8:30 p.m., Saturday, Emerald Queen Casino, Tacoma, $45 to $95.
Ray Romano and Brad Garrett: 8 p.m., Monday, Paramount Theatre, Seattle, $55 to $95.
Chris Rock: 7:30 p.m., April 10 and 11, Paramount Theatre, Seattle, $42.50 to $72.50.
Tickets available at www.ticketmaster.com. Prices do not include service charges or other fees.
Comments
(
