“I like to say it’s like the movie ‘Arthur.’ You’ll have a good time. You may not remember everything, but you’ll have a good time,” she said. “It’s nonsense, but fun. It should be an escape. That’s what I’m going for. Midwest big family stuff.”
She “stumbled upon” comedy at an open mic night about 30 years ago. She was a working journalist and went out with friends after work. After she saw the people who were performing, she knew that she could do it too.
“People are not funny at open mics, and I said, ‘I can do better than that.’ I’m not saying I’m funny. I’m just saying, I’m funnier than that guy. Comedy is saying what’s in your brain,” she said.
Madigan’s stories come directly from her life. She talks about her family, being Catholic and other observations about life. Her current tour is titled “Do You Have Any Ranch?” The reference is to her nieces who were obsessed with ranch one afternoon.
“They kept asking for ranch, and I’d say that I don’t have any salad,” she said. “I went and got five kinds of ranch and they still didn’t like it. I swear, they’d put it on cereal.”
During the pandemic, Madigan didn’t want to completely disconnect from her audience, so she started a podcast called “Madigan’s Pubcast.” She said she never started a podcast because she didn’t have the time, but the pandemic changed her mind. She also found other things to fill the time.
“The irony is that every year in Catholic school, the nuns would write on my report card that I didn’t make productive use of my free time,” she said. “(During the pandemic) I taught myself how to gamble on my phone. I did things I didn’t have time for.”
The current tour continues through the end of this year. In January, Madigan starts her “Boxed Wine and Tiny Banjos” tour. She will also have a new special in 2023. She said she is happy to be back in the Midwest.
“I like all of Ohio. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with it. I worked the clubs there for 10 years. I am happy to be coming back,” she said.
HOW TO GO
What: Kathleen Madigan: Do You Have Any Ranch?
Where: Schuster Center, Second and Main Streets, Dayton
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Cost: $34.75-$59.75
Tickets or more info: Visit www.daytonlive.org
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