Humor Us
DC's burgeoning gay comedy showcase at Titan
Gay is funny.
And he’d better be, seeing that he’s the host of 14th Street’s big gay comedy night.
D.B. Gay is among a burgeoning group of local gay and gay-friendly comics, in more ways than just his surname. “There are a lot of gay comics coming out — and up, ” says Gay.
“I was actually kind of amazed, ” Glenn Mlaker adds. “I didn’t really know that there were local gay comics and that many of them could be so hysterically funny. ” Mlaker owns Hamburger Mary’s and its upstairs companion Titan Bar, where comedians ply their punch lines every Wednesday night at “Queer Club for the Straight Crowd, ” and the best of the best return for the monthly Saturday Showcase. Gay emcees both events.
 Funny Ha Ha: D.B. Gay (Photo by Henry Linser ) |
Mlaker estimates that, on average, the Wednesday night comedy crowd is three-quarters gay. Says Gay: “It’s not totally gay, it’s not totally straight. And it’s definitely not totally sane. ”
It’s a haven, naturally, for gay comics to work out material among their kin. But Gay also sees a value in the night for straight men and women, who actually make up the majority of the comics. For straight women, it’s a place to “pretty much cut loose. They don’t have to protect themselves, fend off the flying dicks. ”
And for straight male stand-ups, the evening can be a good learning ground. “You know gay men, we’re slightly judgmental, ” Gay explains. “If you can make us laugh, then you’ve got a pretty good chance that you can make anybody on the planet laugh. ”
P.J. Studevent, an occasional Titan comedian, praises the club for doing “an amazing job of creating a great atmosphere for all the comics. ” And as long as the audience is there, the laughs will be waiting. “If people come in for it, ” says Mlaker, “we’ll continue to do it. ”
Queer Club for the Straight Crowd kicks off every Wednesday night after 9 pm, and the Saturday Showcase is held every second Saturday of the month, including this Saturday, March 13, at Titan, 1337 14th Street NW. For more information, call Titan at 202-232-7010.
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