Dan's Papers - October 19, 2007 - Comedy for Kids at Bay Street Theatre

It's about time someone stepped into the spotlight and took the mic with kids in mind. While it's true that we've had fabulous authors read their children's books, amazing musicians croon with guitar in hand, and brilliant performers whip up skits and puppet shows for the enjoyment of our younger audiences, our kids have been lacking in one forum that our adults have always enjoyed: stand-up comedy. Well, those days when stand-up comics were limited to smoke-filled late-night venues are over. James Campbell is a witty artist with a focused (and demanding!) market: kids out on the town looking for a laugh. James Campbell is the world's ONLY stand-up comedian devoted to kids. James' target audience is anyone aged six and up, and he welcomes adults who enjoy hilarious stand-up but appreciate the milder language.

James Campbell is from Great Britain, and he's performed with great success all over the world. Campbell has performed in various capacities, but he is best known for his show Comedy 4 Kids, which has enjoyed great success all around the world from the elementary schools of Great Britain to festivals like the Edinburgh Fringe, the Adelaide Fringe and the Melbourne Comedy Festival. He's also performed Comedy 4 Kids in Malaysia and Singapore, and has had three runs in London's swanky West End. Campbell was also the first and so far only children's show to be invited to the Montreal Comedy Festival. Last Easter, James did a three week run on Broadway and enjoyed rave reviews. But now he is coming right here to Sag Harbor to perform as part of Bay Street's acclaimed Kidstreet Series. He'll have the kids and adults alike in stitches as his act unfolds.

So what does a stand-up act consist of if not mass generalizations about race, gender and religion? What could a comedian possibly say without the aid of every four-letter word in the English language? Campbell tackles all sorts of issues ranging from parents to Playstations to why we have hair.

Campbell began by writing and telling stories to children, but over time, his style became more comedic. He started improvising more, and dealing with topics that got kids laughing. When asked whether or not children heckle as much as their adult counterparts, Campbell replied "only constructively. And they tend to put their hands up first so I can decide if I want to be heckled or not. Comedy is a two-way thing and heckling is something to be encouraged." If only adult audiences were so well-trained.

When asked how Campbell deals with the shorter attention span of children, he objected. "Kids don't have a short attention span. It's longer than adults. Children are much more used to listening for an hour and are usually sober."

However, Campbell does not forget the adult members of his audience, and his jokes all seem to play dual roles. While he cracks the kids up describing the excruciating feeling of having to go to the bathroom on a long car trip on the one hand, he gets snickers from the adults for his creative commentary on traffic being so slow that "it [would be] quicker to lie down and just use your eyelids to drag yourself along". With this multi-layered play, Campbell has learned to satisfy both contingents of his audience: the attendees and their chaperones.

If you've already been there and done that with the apple picking and pumpkin carving and you're looking for something a little more creative to do than head back to the movie theatre, check out this one-of-a-kind act. Campbell has carved out a niche in the entertainment business. It's just surprising that he's the first, considering we've all long known how much kids love to laugh and love the reactionary nature of stand-up comedy.

Campbell will be performing Comedy 4 Kids at Bay Street Theatre at 1 p.m. on Saturday, October 21. Tickets are $12 per person. Tickets are available by calling the Bay Street Theatre Box Office at 631-725-9500. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.baystreet.org.

KidStreet's Founding Sponsor is Suffolk County National Bank. The 2007 KidStreet programming is also funded in part by Brown Harris Stevens Real Estate, Hamptons Country Day Camp and by Suffolk County under the auspices of the Office of Cultural Affairs, Steve Levy, County Executive.