Hosts
Kermet Apio and Wendy Liebman
Never assume that you know where Wendy Liebman is going with a joke.
Those who have seen her perform on television — or in Norfolk on Valentine’s Day 2009 at the Johnny Carson Theatre — know that she’s a master at the delayed punch line.
And it’s usually not the punch line one expects.
“That’s always been my style,” she said in a recent phone interview from New York City. “It started because I was scared to be on stage, and I’d just keep adding a tagline to what I was saying.”
It’s a style that has suited her well and helped propel her career as a comedian to the point that she’s known as one of David Letterman’s favorite comics. During a recent week, she was a guest on Joy Behar’s cable television show, Bonnie Hunt’s talk show, not to mention a performance at a New York City comedy club.
She’ll be performing at this summer’s Viaero Great American Comedy Festival in Norfolk on Thursday, June 17, and Friday, June 18, as the “closer” during the preliminary rounds of competition among 20 stand-up comedians.
Liebman has been performing stand-up comedy for more than 20 years, having appeared on “The Late Show” with Letterman nine times as well as “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno. She also has hosted her own comedy special on HBO.
A 1983 graduate of Wellesley College with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, she graduated magna cum laude and is a member of the nationwide Phi Beta Kappa honorary.
Even though she could be as busy as she desires performing, Liebman said she’s married with stepchildren and dogs and finds she doesn’t like being away all that often.
“I probably only go away twice a month — for 15 days at a time. . . . You’re supposed to laugh at that,” she said. “No, it’s usually just away for a weekend because I really miss my dogs (long pause) and my family.”
Liebman said she has been kept busy pitching an idea for a new show to television’s Food Network. “It’s called ‘Wendy Can’t Cook,’ ” she said. “I made a salad and my stepson found a paper towel in it.”
Of course one can’t really tell whether that’s Liebman just telling another joke. “I’m serious, but only in rare moments,” she said.
One of the things she was serious about was when she recalled being invited to perform on “The Tonight Show” when Johnny Carson was hosting it.
“I was one of the last comedians on with him. It was the thrill of a lifetime,” she said.
When she was in Norfolk last year to perform with Eddie Brill and Jake Johansen, she took the time to visit the Elkhorn Valley Museum and tour the Carson exhibit. She also drove by the house along 13th Street that was Carson’s boyhood home.
“He was one of one of a kind,” she said.
Kermet Apio looked forward to participating in last summer’s Great American Comedy Festival in Norfolk. But being part of the 2010 event will be even better.
“It will be all of the fun without the pressure,” the Seattle-based stand-up comedian said in a recent interview with the Daily News. “It’s going to be a blast.”
That’s because Apio returns to Norfolk in June as the reigning champion of the festival’s stand-up competition. Last year, he competed; this year, he gets to host two shows.
“Coming to Norfolk was much more than just a gig,” Apio said. “Everyone was so nice. This was by far the most fun I’ve had at a festival.”
Apio said he was impressed by the Johnny Carson Theatre, but even more by the Norfolk families who served as hosts for the visiting comedians last summer.
“That was my favorite thing — the fact that they took time out of their days, invited us into their homes and then, in the competition, they were cheering for us,” he said.
Comedians are used to staying in their hotel rooms when scheduled to perform and taking taxis to their venues. “Here we had all these really sweet people who welcomed us and make you feel special,” he said. “You don’t see that in a lot of festivals.”
Apio said winning the title at the 2009 festival provided a boost for his career as a comedian. “It opened some doors for me,” he said. “Within days of winning it, people were taking my calls and
e-mails that didn’t before.”
But the biggest benefit of performing in Norfolk was the chance to be seen by Eddie Brill, the talent coordinator for David Letterman who also serves as the festival’s producer.
“Getting in front of Eddie Brill is huge. It’s an amazing thing,” he said.
Virtually every television show or venue that has comedians perform has a talent booker. And then there’s Eddie Brill.
“He challenges you to get better. He loves comedy and he loves being around it and if you’re willing to listen, you will get better,” Apio said.
Even if he’s never invited to perform on Letterman’s “Late Show,” Apio said it’s been an honor to get to know Brill. “His critiques are that good,” he said.
Apio said he’ll try to fill the role that Deacon Gray did last year at the festival as the returning stand-up champion.
“I’ll try to answer the other comedians’ questions. I’ll encourage them. I’ll help loosen them up,” he said.
And he’ll encourage the competitors to take advantage of the opportunity to get to know the celebrities who will be part of the 2010 festival, like Brill, Larry Miller, Ed Asner and Dick Carson.
“Last year, David Brenner came up and give me some advice. It was amazing,” he said. “And I had a long conversation with Bill Dana about Hawaii. My dad couldn’t believe that because he had seen Bill Dana perform in Hawaii in the 1950s.”
