Women In Comedy, Or The Everett Question

Last weekend, Comedy Central did something fairly interesting as part of their ramp-up to the release of Amy Schumer's movie "Trainwreck." In between showing one of Schumer's specials, they premiered an hour special from one of Schumer's favorite acts, a cabaret-style performer named Bridgett Everett. (Yes, I'm aware that I write about marketing and advertising. We'll get there.)

If you haven't had the Everett experience... well, there really is no one to compare her to in popular media. She's a cabaret singer who performs in character, and the character is over the top in every way. She uses fairly unique physicality (Everett is, well, a large person) and unrelenting energy to create subversive comedy that provokes jaw-dropping astonishment. Her act takes exceptional editing to make it fit for broadcast, both for language and for visuals, and the devotion that she inspires from her audience is also remarkable.

Everett's voice is, like everything else about her, formidable. Like Schumer, she's utterly fearless in terms of selling out for the laugh. There is a courage here that's exceptional, and I have no doubt that in today's fragmented media marketplace, there's a place for her as one of a growing number of female comedians... though to call Everett a comedian is really a loss of accuracy, given how much of what she does is more musical theater than traditional stand up. Fans include Chris Rock, Peter Dinklage, Sarah Jessica Parker, Fred Armisen, Patti LuPone and more. Everett will perform on the Oddball Fest, a major comedy tour headlined by Schumer and Aziz Ansari.

So where does the marketing hook kick in? Because we are at the start of what is looking to be a long-overdue correction in stand-up comedy, where another art form and profession becomes more open to a wider swath of demographics. As a comedy nerd (and very occasional performer), I approve, because with each new approach, what's possible becomes a little wider, and a little more creative.

But what Everett does is so different from everyone else who is working today, so this also kind of counts as a litmus test to see what's possible, and in a lesser fashion, whether Schumer will be able to bring others with her on her rise to mainstream acceptance.

If Everett succeeds on a mass-market level, it speaks to a more diverse set of entertainment and casting options. Maybe more acceptance of bigger people and fashion options, or art forms (cabaret, in particular) that have been marginalized to certain groups and areas. (Oh, and maybe some *very* daring sponsorship opportunities.)

She's clearly not for everyone. But Comedy Central has put her in a position to be seen by a lot of people who have never heard of her before. Will it catch fire, or just stay in its own smaller world? I have no idea, but anyone who can get a crowd of strangers to sing these songs, with these lyrics, out loud... is not somehow you want to bet against.

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