Last night Clif and I went to Winthrop’s very own Van der Brew for the Dennis Price Comedy Hour. Van der Brew is a huge—but comfortable—place, and it was full, full, full of fans eager to see Dennis’s show.
The line for beer was long, but Clif was patient and eventually got a pint of Lily Bay IPA, which seems to be glowing. No surprise. After all, Van der Brew is a special place.
I have known the buoyant, inimitable Dennis Price for over twenty years. I met him when he was a young intern at the Theater at Monmouth, a summer theater the next town over from us. Dennis is from Virginia, but lucky for us, Dennis decided to stay here, settling in central Maine. Along with acting, Dennis has taught at area high schools and is now the manager of Capital City Improv, where according to its Facebook page, he and his merry band of comics “present world-class improv comedy right before your eyes, ears and funnybones.”
After all, “The world needs more laughter…” It certainly does. As Roger Rabbit put it, “Sometimes in life, it is the only weapon we have.”
And laugh we did as Dennis and company romped, did impersonations, asked trivia questions, and most impressively, perhaps, came up with skits on the spot with prompts from the audience. In particular, their take, wit, and verbal agility in telling a story about the transfer station (once known as “the dump”) had everyone laughing. Holy cats, they were good.
When the humor is lighthearted—as it was last night—it is a wonderful feeling to laugh along with a crowd of people. It lifts the spirits, and if ever there were a time when spirits needed lifting, it is now.
Notes From the Hinterland 
Sounds like a great evening.
Oh so fun!
Laughing together with other people is very uplifting, so pleased you had such a lovely evening Laurie.
It certainly is!
I do love a good comedy show. So good to laugh out loud! They say it is good for the pancreas. 😉
Laugh away, then!
The transfer station has got to be a good source of laughs.
It really was!
Sounds like a good evening!
It sure was!
It is good to meet a cheerful comic rather than a cynical one.
I have never seen one ounce of cynicism in Dennis.
Laurie – it sounds like a wonderful time!
A very good time indeed!
: )
This is a great reminder that I need to find a good comedy show to go to myself. Looks like an awesome evening!
We sure need to laugh right now. Otherwise…
It certainly looks like a good time was had by all. Yes, laughter is always a good medicine for what ails you. 🙂
A very good time!
Sounds wonderful.
Lots of fun!
It must be a great feeling to make a lot of people laugh at one time – although scary as hell too I’d imagine, at least when first starting out.
You bet!
Clearly good fun. Our dumps are now called recycling centres and they charge you for some stuff you present them with
Our transfer station charges for some things, too.
A great night
So much fun!
I do love good comedy and getting it in person with a crowd is great. My goal is to have at least one belly laugh a day. Even better if there are more.
We sure do need those belly laughs!
Oh we love a good comedy show! This sounds like a fun night out Laurie and it’s always special to see someone perform whom you’ve known for such a long time xxx
Sure is! And to laugh hard is such a good thing.
What a fantastic event and you seem to have a great community which turns out to support local businesses and talent.
Yes, and long may it continue. Winthrop is a very small town and what a treat to have a place like Van der Brew.
What a fun night (great shot of the glowing beer) and I love when they do the skits on the spot!🙂
Good silly fun!