JR De Guzman, winner of the 2016 Stand-up NBC nationwide search for comedians of diverse backgrounds and featured in Netflix’s “The Comedy Lineup,” will take the stage at Irvine Improv on June 14-16. We asked De Guzman about his upcoming show.
How does comedy blend music and humor?
I grew up playing music in church at my Catholic school, then started taking some theater classes in college that focused on comedy. For one of my classes at UC Davis, we had an assignment to write a musical comedy song, and that’s sort of the birth of it all.
What messages do you aim to convey through humor?
Unity and joy. I like the idea that we can find joy and connect with each other by laughing about anything and everything, even the dark stuff.
How do you keep your material fresh?
I write an original song for each city about the city I’m in. That’s always a fun part of the show for the local crowd. I also do a lot of crowd work, which keeps it pretty personal to each city.
What can we expect from your Irvine shows?
I’m bringing a few new songs mixed in with the hits and going to try some experimental things that have been really fun to do onstage as of late.
