Comics for a Cure proves laughter is contagious

KATE LIEBERS

Staff Writer

Life is too short not to laugh at some of it.

Such is the men­tal­ity of Jeff Robin­son, who cre­ated Comics for a Cure — a stand-up com­edy ben­e­fit to raise money for the Amer­i­can Can­cer Society.

The event is sched­uled to cel­e­brate its 10th annual show at 8 p.m. Feb. 25 at the Strand The­atre in down­town Delaware. Tick­ets cost $25 and $35 and can be pur­chased at the Strand or by call­ing 740–816-3534.

While the cause is seri­ous, the show is meant to be upbeat and positive.

Robin­son cre­ated the show in mem­ory of his mother, who died of can­cer, and knows the impor­tance of a good laugh.

“For peo­ple who have can­cer or for peo­ple whose lives have been touched by it, we can’t lose sight of the fact that you need to main­tain a sense of humor,” said Robin­son. “We have to laugh at life and enjoy it, because it is short.”

“We’re try­ing to fight a ter­ri­ble ill­ness, but we’re here to have fun,” he added.

The come­di­ans sched­uled to per­form 30-minute rou­tines include Tom Foss, Dan Orr and Mike Con­ley, with Robin­son emcee­ing. Auc­tions and raf­fles are to be con­ducted between sets.

The humor is meant to be “appeal­ing to all audi­ences” while offer­ing some­thing dif­fer­ent every year, said Robinson.

He said that the come­di­ans keep the humor family-friendly, but there are oppor­tu­ni­ties for surprises.

“Once they have the micro­phone in their hands, it’s out of my hands,” Robin­son joked.

Con­ley, who per­formed at Comics for a Cure years ago, said it was reward­ing to donate his comedic tal­ents for a good cause — espe­cially since his mother is a can­cer survivor.

Not only does he sup­port the event’s char­ity ele­ment, Con­ley has first-hand expe­ri­ence of how com­edy can lift spirits.

“You ask any doc­tor, laugh­ter is the best med­i­cine,” said Conley.

Con­ley said the audi­ence can expect to hear his jokes about turn­ing 50, dat­ing and how to self-prescribe a per­fect “percatini.”

Foss also per­forms stand-up and is a reg­u­lar at the Colum­bus Funny Bone. He has been known to dis­cuss the plights of liv­ing in Appalachia, fish­ing in cam­ou­flage and the fol­lies of hockey skates.

Orr is expected to deliver a dose of musi­cal com­edy dur­ing the event. A QFM96 morn­ing show pro­ducer and per­son­al­ity, Orr will be per­form­ing a solo act of the music com­edy group, The Dan Orr Project.

The group has cre­ated sev­eral albums, includ­ing “The Dork Side of the Moon.” This album entails such hits as, “Rogaine,” “Nights In White Cas­tle” and “Newt Gingrich.”

For those who have not yet expe­ri­enced live com­edy, Robin­son said that Comics for a Cure is an ideal intro­duc­tion — par­tic­u­larly because the money sup­ports can­cer research.

Last year, the event col­lected about $16,000; This year, Robin­son said he hopes to raise about $20,000.

The dona­tions have been on the rise do to increased admis­sion — which has exceeded 300 peo­ple — as well as the auc­tion and raf­fle items.

Robin­son said return­ing guests can expect to see new prizes this year, such as a three-night stay at a Michi­gan lake house, tick­ets to the Ohio Machine pro­fes­sional lacrosse team (debut­ing this year at Ohio Wesleyan’s Selby Field) and a behind-the-scenes tour at the Colum­bus Zoo and Aquarium.

Other gifts include Ohio State foot­ball tick­ets, an overnight stay at Maumee Bay State Park and Resort, a dessert-of-the-month pack­age and a wine-making kit.

Ticket-holders’ seats are assigned, but Robin­son encour­aged peo­ple to come early.

The show is about a month away, but the tick­ets aren’t expected to last that long.

“We’re going through them pretty quickly,” said Robin­son, who was pleased by how much the event has grown over the past decade.

“I’m glad to see it’s some­thing that peo­ple are respond­ing to. I’m glad to see it’s some­thing that peo­ple ask about,” said Robin­son. “(The dona­tions) are a drop in the bucket for what they raise nation­ally, but I think my mom would like that we’re doing it.”

Robin­son has emceed the event in four loca­tions since its incep­tion, most recently set­tling at the Strand for its ample seat­ing. The show has also become more relaxed and lower-priced since mov­ing away from the din­ner format.

The changes have allowed the show to admit more guests and raise more funds for can­cer research.

Robin­son hoped that one day the Amer­i­can Can­cer Soci­ety would have accrued enough funds to com­plete the research that leads to a cure. Until then, how­ever, the come­di­ans will pro­vide some treatment.

“Have a night out. Laugh,” said Robin­son. “It’s good for you.”

Posted by Andy Pohl on Feb 1 2012. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS Feed. Comments can be made below.