For 103 years New Bedford, MA has been the site of the Feast of the Blessed Sacrament, "the Largest Portuguese Feast in the World and the largest ethnic festival in New England". Each year the fest attracts thousands of guests with an expected 100,000 guests this year. The mid-summer feast is not only host to some of the best Portuguese food in the world, but also host to a variety of different talents. Musical talent has included Candlebox, Tonic, and headlining this year are the Spin Doctors.
It was last year at the 102nd annual feast that the hosts made a decision to book local comic Tegan Flanders as one of the entertainers.
Mr. Flanders (a former comedic performer in New York City) decided he didn't want to get on stage and do a conventional show. So, "Funny Please" was born, an amalgamation of stand-up, sketch, and improv comedy.
After performing at the feast with rave reviews, the founding members of "Funny Please" decided to continue on after realizing they might have accidentally struck gold. The group continued to write and rehearse and began booking shows in the surrounding area.
'Funny Please' TV
Founding member Stephan Rose (local comic) reached out to PEGRI (Providence, RI public access television station) and with their support, "Funny Please" began broadcasting a monthly television show statewide in Rhode Island and in many parts of Massachusetts.
The TV show currently broadcasts to roughly 2 million homes. The first 5 episodes are available now on YouTube, with episode 6 expected to be available soon.
A different breed
"Funny Please" has what the Providence Journal called a "Late night, Sketch, Improv, Variety show."
In a time where comedy is dominated by sites like YouTube, it may seem a bit archaic to seek out public access, but "Funny Please" TV has developed quite a bit of a following, And being unconventional is what separates "Funny Please" from the rest.
As founder Tegan Flander's puts it "you can go anywhere and see stand up. You can go anywhere and see a sketch, and improv. But where are you going to go and see it all?"
The comedy itself is a reflection of the eclectic cast of memorable characters such as the eccentric Reverend Rose, hair model Todd Harris, and even Joe Pesci.
Each member of the group writes and contributes to every performance and every sketch. There is a great sense of brotherhood in what can be described as a meritocratic system where hard work and talent in a role beats out seniority.
In less than one year the group has amassed close to 1,000 followers on facebook. Their live shows have a cult following of die-hard fans.
One year
"Funny Please" is closing in on their one year anniversary. To mark the occasion the group is hosting a dinner show to celebrate on August 12, 2017, at The Loyal Order of Moose in New Bedford, MA. The group will also be competing in the Boston Annual Improv competition the following day on August 13. In closing, with so much already accomplished in a short time, there is no doubt that this group had a bright future ahead of them and will be one to keep an eye on!
