Paula Poundstone Returning to Boyne City

Comedian to play June 29

By Ross Boissoneau | June 15, 2019

Paula Poundstone is bringing her smart, observational humor and spontaneous interaction with the crowd to the Boyne City Performing Arts Center. Again. Her upcoming June 29 date will be the third time the comedian has performed in Boyne City. “My manager asked, ‘Would you work there?’ I said, ‘Of course.’ I’ll go anywhere. I like to work,” said Poundstone.
 
She said doing shows at smaller venues is something she enjoys, engaging the audiences both in performances and following the show. As an example, she mentioned a recent show in Bozeman, Montana.

“It was a teeny little theatre that had been restored. Afterward I often do a meet and greet, say hello. The people after were delightful, saying ‘Thank you for coming all the way to Bozeman.’ It’s kind of charming. It should be the other way — you bought a ticket.”
 
It also doesn’t matter where the gig is, conservative or liberal, black or white, red or blue. While personally leaning to the left side of the political spectrum, Poundstone said an audience’s political affiliations don’t necessarily impact her. “First of all, we all have more in common [than we don’t]. My act is not entirely political, but some is,” she said. And even in areas that skew one direction or another, “There’s no place I know of that is totally one way,” she said.
 
Poundstone has been a frequent guest of television shows such as the Tonight Show,as well as starring in her own shows on network television as well as several HBO specials. She’s worked as a voice actor and was recognized on Comedy Central's list of The 100 Best Stand-up Comics of All Time. She has also won an American Comedy Award for Best Female Stand-up.
 
Today, many people are familiar with her from her role as a panelist on the NPR news quiz/comedy show “Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me.” Poundstone admits that she wasn’t a fan of the show before joining it. In fact, she wasn’t familiar with it at all. “They called me up. I hadn’t heard of it,” she said.
 
The producers sent her a cassette of the show, which she promptly deposited on her kitchen island. One day her nanny saw it, and said, “I love that show. You have to do it.”
 
It’s now one of NPR’s most popular programs. “I have to say it’s one of the best things that’s ever happened to me,” Poundstone said.
 
Poundstone also weighed in on an area infrequently explored: the role technology has played in comedy, from social media to streaming services to podcasting (she also has her own podcast, Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone).She unsurprisingly has a succinct and amusing take on what it all means: “Technology makes it possible for people to do more work for less money.”
 
Neverthless, she adds, “I mess around with Twitter far more than is productive.”
 
The comedian said her stand-up shows vary from night to night. She often incorporates material derived from the area she’s visiting, from the audience, or even on her drive to the theater where she is performing. “Part of the joy in my job is [incorporating] something in the theater or on my way to the venue. In the old days, I tried to ignore distractions. Now my whole act is a distraction.
 
“I don’t have a set, and I can’t memorize a set list,” she said, adding, “I’m sure aging is not helping my memory. When my kids were little and getting ready for school, I would tape my list [of things to do] on my shirt. My whole act has changed in response to the fact I can’t remember.”
 
Poundstone’s show is a fundraiser for the Boyne Country Community Center. Showtime is at 8pm; doors open at 7pm. For tickets, go to www.boynecc.com.