Video: Allen comic opens home to “Comedy in the Suburbs” concept

by Erin Rice

While most in this particular upper-middle class Allen neighborhood were sleeping at 1 a.m. Saturday morning, one home was reverberating with laughter (and reeking of cheap tequila).

From the street, the crowd of cars would have appeared to be just another house party, but on this night local comedian John Tole was holding the debut performance of his new concept, "Comedy in the Suburbs." With a cat tower of monolithic proportions providing the backdrop, Tole offers up his own living room to local comedians and friends to gather and work on their routines.

Why, pray tell, would someone subject their house to such a practice? According to Tole, lead vocalist for San Diego thrash outfit PC Deathsquad and atypical Collin County resident, the idea came to him after similar experiences playing in metal and punk bands around the world.

"Some of my favorite live experiences were when we would set up in someone's family room or backyard and play to a great group of people... I'm older now, so instead of allowing moshing in my family room, I'm allowing laughter."

Though several people were milling about and the cul-de-sac looked more like a parking lot, those gathered were all acquaintances of Tole and that night's performers. Punctuated by a keg of something awful, but plentiful, the atmosphere created was a prime conduit for the comedians to work on material in front of an appreciative crowd.

"From a comedy standpoint, you are not going to find a better audience in Dallas," notes Tole. "The experience and setting are so different from a comedy club; people are far more relaxed and leave knowing they saw something special."

Opening acts performed between 5 and 10 minutes, warming up the crowd for headliner Paul Varghese. A heavy-hitter in the local comedy circuit, Varghese grew a national audience after participating in season two of Last Comic Standing. Also performing that night were Brad Lacour, Adam Shumate, Chad Shultz, Chris Lehman, Ryan Perrio, and Tom McDonough. All of the comics above can be seen at open mics around town, as well as the Addison Improv, Hyena's (Arlington and Fort Worth), BackDoor, and other local clubs.

Following a well-received first outing, Tole plans to host additional "Comedy in the Suburbs" shows. The next event is slated for April 10 and will feature a new lineup of local and Austin-based comedians whose work he respects. A "Comedy in the Suburbs" website featuring this and future performances can be found here.

Limited only by the size of his property, Tole anticipates that future events will be even bigger, while maintaining the intimate, friendly vibe. One only hopes that as this house gets to rockin' the Collin County cops who undoubtedly show up will have a sense of humor.

Videos were filmed and edited by Jess Krodel.

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