After ‘Late Show’ debut, NEPA comedian Samantha Ruddy performs at Scranton Cultural Center on March 23
Following her network television debut on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on CBS in January, Scranton-born comedian Samantha Ruddy is returning home from New York City to headline a night of stand-up comedy in Shopland Hall at the Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple on Saturday, March 23 at 8 p.m.
She will be joined on her first-ever headlining hometown show by fellow Big Apple comics Chanel Ali and David Spector, who will host the show. Seating is general admission and first-come, first-served.
Doors will open at 7 p.m. with a cocktail hour. Tickets, which are $10 in advance or $20 at the door, plus fees, are on sale now and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com and all Ticketmaster outlets, in person at the Fidelity Bank Box Office at the SCC (420 N. Washington Ave., Scranton), or by calling 570-344-1111.
Born in Scranton and raised in nearby Mayfield, Ruddy has been living in New York City since 2014 and working hard as both a stand-up comedian and comedy writer. It all paid off recently when she appeared on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on Jan. 25.
Recorded late last year in front of a live audience, the six-minute set finally aired in an episode featuring actor John Goodman. She made a funny argument for legalizing weed and talked about why she won’t date a 19-year-old, getting hit on by guys as a lesbian, arguing with her father and talking to him about her relationship, adopting an otter, dressing appropriately, and watching too much Netflix:
“This was such a cool opportunity and I was very excited they let me tell my opening joke on network TV. Kept waiting for it to get cut! Thanks to everybody who’s watched and sent kind words,” Ruddy tweeted the next day.
The 26-year-old Brooklyn comic has been making her mark in the city that never sleeps, headlining Carolines on Broadway and hosting weekly shows called “Too Many Cooks” at Lucky Jack’s Bar & Lounge. She has performed at the New York Comedy Festival, Women in Comedy Festival, San Francisco Sketchfest, Bridgetown Comedy Festival, Limestone Comedy Festival, Cape Fear Comedy Festival, and the Laugh Your Asheville Off Festival while writing for CollegeHumor, Someecards, Reductress, and The Higgs Weldon.
She started performing stand-up at Syracuse University and joined the award-winning sketch comedy group Humor Whore, which was featured on Yahoo! News, CollegeHumor, and Sports Illustrated. In 2016, Ruddy was named one of “The 50 Funniest People in Brooklyn” by Brooklyn Magazine just a few months after BUST wrote that she’s a comic “you should be obsessed with.” Last year, she appeared in Comedy Central’s “Dollar Store Therapist” series.
Ruddy occasionally returns home to perform, emceeing the first Stand Up Comedy Showcase at the Scranton Fringe Festival in 2017. The festival’s Facebook page posted, “We’re so incredibly proud of her and are grateful she shared her talents with us (and hopefully will again)!” soon after her “Colbert” set was uploaded online.
Stay up-to-date on the future shows and appearances of the woman who calls herself “Joe Rogan for women who talk to their cats” and laugh at her witty tweets @samlymatters.
According to their bios, “David Spector has opened for Kurt Metzger and Barry Crimmins, performed on New York Comedy Fest, and has been featured on Sirius XM radio,” while “Chanel Ali is a stand-up comedian who blossomed on the Philadelphia circuit before moving to New York City in 2015. Her stage presence and storyteller style make her a crowd favorite as she covers her upbringing, her worldview, and life as a comedian who doubles as a polite person in real life. She was recently featured on an episode of “Night Train with Wyatt Cenac” and has performed at Carolines on Broadway and New York Comedy Club regularly.
Photo by Mindy Tucker
