Whether through his work on ‘The Daily Show,’ his self-produced podcast ‘Inside Out,’ or his stand-up performances, Emmy and Peabody Award-winning comedian and writer Paul Mecurio is known for his sharp, intelligent humor that remains deeply relatable to his audience. Now, he’s taking that connection even further with ‘Permission to Speak,’ an interactive, Off-Broadway hit that invites audiences to share their own stories—an experience he’s bringing on tour.
Mecurio’s Frank Oz-directed event (Oz being the voice of Yoda in ‘Star Wars,’ Miss Piggy on ‘The Muppet Show’ and Cookie Monster on ‘Sesame Street’) comes to City Winery Philadelphia, on Saturday, March 29. Stripping away the pretense of scripted “crowd work,” the event offers something more intimate, heartfelt, and refreshingly humble.
“I no longer have to “go for the joke,” stresses Mecurio of the naturalistic fashion in which ‘Permission to Speak’ unfolds, poignantly in opposition to the usual surface interactivity of a stand-up and their audience. “That drives me crazy — this kind-of artifice is insulting to the audience.”
With Mecurio’s new show, anything that provokes a conversation is an invitation to go deep into what makes the chosen crowd members – or the comedian himself – tick. Then go deeper still.
“Our interaction takes us somewhere, maybe after two, three questions when, after they’ve warmed-up, the person begins to tell their story. ‘Permission to Speak’ is me telling my life story while engaging the audience and getting them to tell their life stories, because, cliché as it is, everybody has a story.”
And Mecurio – a man willing to let conversation breathe with great listening skills, a quality uncommon to most over-talking comedians – is there for his audiences’ fireside chat.
“We as a people are disconnected and divisive,” Mecurio continues. “We feel as if we’re nameless and faceless. But, if we can get together, and share stories, we might realize that we have more in common than we think, and won’t have to be so divisive.”
Does this make ‘Permission to Speak’ political, a show driven by that which separates us on the left from the right?
“This show is not political. It encourages conversation – say, after the show, among people who didn’t previously know each other. They saw somebody onstage, and somehow, they connected with it. As soon as people figure out that you’re not going to make fun of, or judge them – neither of which I do – people want to talk.”
‘Permission to Speak’ audiences wish to talk to each other, as well as their host in a manner that could bridge all political, cultural or social gaps.
“Some people need to tell their story. I want to hear them. That’s how ‘Permission to Speak’ was born—out of my own natural curiosity,” Mecurio says.
‘Permission to Speak’s evolution from stand-up to one-man-show status comes, in part, from Frank Oz’s recognition of Mecurio’s empathy, and the director’s desire for something good.
“In his deep voice, Frank told me that he loved my humanity, and that “We need a show like this, especially now” as to why he wanted to get involved,” says Mecurio.
When the man who brought Yoda to life speaks, you listen.
“Frank and I have an 80/20 rule, maybe 70/30: 80 percent story, 20 percent comedy,” states Mecurio about refusing to “push” for the comedy.
“Don’t go-for-the-joke-go-for-the-joke-go-for-the-joke, and step on conversations that could be gold,” he says of being a comedian-host who pays attention to his audience. “Don’t jam a joke in, or make someone shrink from telling their story because they’re intimidated, and you’re selfish.
omedy will bubble up. If you implicate yourself, or derail their story, you miss out on very real gems. You have to listen and fight all urges as a comedian to push for the laugh. You wait – the game will come to you – and the reaction from someone’s genuine story being told will be a thousand times more rewarding, a thousand times bigger and better than if you told your joke in the middle of someone else’s story.”
In accordance with Mecurio’s opening monologue, ‘Permission to Speak’ is unscripted because life is unscripted. With that, not everything will be funny; things could go off-the-rails, grow maudlin, get weird or become disagreeable. Life is complicated, messy and imperfect. It doesn’t come in nice, neat boxes, says Mecurio. But, this show – his show, your show – will be reflective of the every day, the commonplace, what all of us go through.
“The show might be weird or have moments of sadness,” Mecurio says. “Even in the sadness, we’ll find something. Or we won’t. It’s a high wire act without a net.”
Paul Mecurio will perform ‘Permission to Speak’ at City Winery Philadelphia, on Saturday, March 29, at 7:30 p.m. (doors open at 6 p.m.) For information and tickets, visit citywinery.com/philadelphia
