Eddie Brill, who used to warm up the audience for David Letterman on The Late Show, is performing at Donkey Coffee and Espresso on Thursday night.
The man who used to warm up the audience for David Letterman on The Late Show will be cracking jokes at Donkey Coffee and Espresso on Thursday.
Eddie Brill will be performing stand-up at the coffee shop at 17 W. Washington St. at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $7.
Troy Gregorino, booking manager at Donkey, said he’s excited for such a “rare talent” like Brill to be coming to Athens. Thursdays are usually reserved for musicians’ open stage, but Gregorino said an exception was made for Brill.
“I would never move events unless it was something exciting and worthwhile,” Gregorino said. “I never like to move events or create confusion unless it’s a really cool opportunity, such as this.”
Brill worked on The Late Show with David Letterman for more than a decade and has been on many TV shows, such as Louie.
Brill is doing a fundraising event in Amesville, Ohio on Friday and is stopping in Athens beforehand.
Three members of Blue Pencil Comedy, Ohio University’s student comedy troupe, will be opening the show.
Peter Vilardi, president of Blue Pencil, has been performing with the group for four years and said he is excited to open for Brill.
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“The open mics are a lot of fun. The atmosphere is fantastic,” Vilardi, a senior studying music production, said. “Athens is a very special place for stand-up comedy.”
Vilardi said his favorite part of doing comedy shows is trying new content.
“I just love getting on stage and trying whatever I feel like,” Vilardi said. “Sometimes it’s totally new material, but I’m always trying to do something different and pushing myself to do more.”
Also opening for Brill is Alex Baumann, a senior studying management and strategic leadership, who has been performing with Blue Pencil for a year. He said he’s not nervous and is ready.
“I don’t want to sound like an old pro because I’m definitely not, but I know my material,” Baumann said. “But I’m not doing anything new so I know what will get laughs. You never know what will happen.”
As for Baumann’s favorite part of performing, he said he loves helping remove people from the “misery of the world.”
“I really like making people laugh. When you’re laughing, there’s a moment of bliss and everything is right in the world for that one moment,” Baumann said. “I just love helping people forget how miserable the world can be sometimes.”
Gregorino said he has wanted to bring more comedy to Donkey in the past couple years, so Brill’s visit is a way to do just that.
“Comedy normally happens once a month with Blue Pencil comedy,” Gregorino said. “Comedy is something I’ve always wanted to do more of.”
@NataliaKunce
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