Edgy, funny, clean: Restoring Laughter shows good comedy doesn't have to be foul

July 30, 2012

Ron McGehee

Comedian, Writer, Actor & Speaker

Article taken from GlennBeck.com
by Dan Andros

Around 2,000 people filled the seats at High Point Church in Arlington Texas last night for Restoring Laughter and fans got what they came for: great laughs without the x-rated material most comedians employ today. The event was MC’d by Stu Burguiere, co-host and executive producer of The Glenn Beck Radio Program and featured comedians Ron McGeehee, Kerri Pomarolli & Jeff Allen.

In his debut stand up role, Stu left a slew of targets in his wake, with MSNBC taking the brunt in the early going. Stu mocked their ‘Inside the Obama White House’ coverage: “It’s not clear if that was a new show or if they have just moved their studios inside the Obama White House. They’ve been dating so long it’s about time they move in together” he said to cheers of approval.

Stu also marveled at the media’s fear of Mormonism, not understanding what they could possibly be afraid of: “What’s so threatening about a Mormon? What are they going to do? Run over you with their bicycles? Are they going to drown you in root beer? A jello salad attack? The Mormon version of the crusades is an overly aggressive hug.”

And of course, Glenn Beck would not be spared. Stu argued it was ‘ridiculous’ for people to label Glenn gloom & doom because ‘you should see the bright and cheery color scheme in his death bunker’.

Next up was husband & wife team Ron McGeehee and Kerri Pomarolli. As Christians and veteran comedians, they are accustomed to battling the misconceptions that come along with the ‘Christian comedian’ label. People assume it will be tame and boring, but that notion was quickly put to rest as Ron joked about bulimia, claiming he was a ‘lazy bulimic’ because he’d binge eat often, but always put off the purging part for weeks. Kerri had the audience rolling yet mildly concerned when she started talking about her young children: “I have two kids. I wish you could meet them – but they’re in the car” she said before quickly assuring the crowd she’s not a bad parent: “Don’t worry, we rolled the windows down.”

She called pre-marital counseling a ‘waste of time’ arguing she could offer complete counseling in one sentence: “When you get married there will be a man living in your house, forever and ever – and he’ll have no place to go.”

Ron & Kerri also performed a nostalgic re-enactment of their wedding dance – an epic, carefully choreographed routine set to ‘(I’ve had) The Time of My Life’ which nearly sent painfully out of shape Ron to the hospital.
Finally it was Jeff Allen’s turn. A former atheist from the south side of Chicago, his personal story is even more powerful than his comedy. Jeff began performing at comedy clubs at a very young age. His routines were filled with profanity, and his life on the road was even more of a mess as he abused drugs and alcohol. He was angry, bitter and on the verge of collapse. Allen’s life has since taken a 180 degree turn. It was a long journey but at the age of 40 he became a Christian… and now his routines have drastically changed. They’re still full of laughs – but there’s something deeper now. More meaning – for example, standing up for the kind of common sense Americans used to live with.

He reminisced about a time that existed before ‘before lawyers ruined everything’. A time when parents would smack you upside the head if you did something stupid, not file a lawsuit on your behalf. A time when parents would allow their kids to ride a scooter without dressing them up to ‘look like they are going to disarm a nuclear device’. And a time when wearing a bike helmet would have caused friends to yell out ‘dorkwad! What’s with the plastic hat?’ before they toughened you up a little bit.

This segment, and many more like it, were met with thunderous applause.

It was edgy & funny…and there wasn’t even a single profanity.

For information on how to book Kerri Pomarolli or Ron McGehee for your next event, visit PremiereSpeakers.com/Christian/Kerri_Pomarolli andPremiereSpeakers.com/Christian/Ron_McGehee.