Lakeport >> Marc Yaffee never thought his job as a driving examiner for the DMV would eventually lead to a stand up comedy career. But fast forward about 16 years, and Yaffee is working as a full time comedian, performing his “comedy buffet” nationwide. This Saturday the once local comedian comes back to his roots for a performance at the Soper Reese Theatre. 16-year-old Chancellor Andrade opens for Yaffee.
“I’m real excited to come back to Lake County,” Yaffee said. “It’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve been to.”
Yaffee’s foray into comedy began later in life, when he opened his own driving school after his stint at the DMV. “People in the traffic school classes said, ‘Oh, you’re pretty funny. Have you ever thought about doing a comedy?’” he recalled.
Becoming a comedian wasn’t in the books for Yaffee. Though he enjoyed sitcoms as a kid, he never sought out comedy albums. “I’d always been kind of interested in it but it wasn’t something I expected to be doing,” Yaffee said. “Stand up wasn’t really at the top of my consciousness, but I always liked to laugh and I went to school with a lot of really funny people which set the stage for me going into comedy.”
But Yaffee liked the idea that humor could connect him with his students, so he enrolled in a comedy class in Sacramento. The class sparked his passion and unearthed his talent. A teacher saw potential, and took Yaffee out on the road for some comedy shows. “I wanted to be funnier for traffic school and then the first time I got up on stage I really connected with it,” Yaffee said.
It could be said that he caught the bug. He traveled to Sacramento from Lake County once a week to improve his comedy. He would also make frequent trips to the Bay Area and San Francisco, driving three hours for three to five minutes of stage time, or sometimes never even performing.
Comedy eventually evolved into more than a hobby and for the past nine years, Yaffee has been working a professional comedian. His material covers “a whole smorgasbord of topics … anything from family and relationships to politics and pop culture,” he said.
Yaffee looks up to comedians like D.L. Hughley, Jim Gaffigan and Bill Maher. Maher, specifically because of the blunt comedy he’s known for. “He’s pretty outspoken and pretty fearless,” Yaffee said. “I admire that, comedians who aren’t afraid to take risks.”
It’s something Yaffee aims to do at every show. “Your whole life you try to go to the edge of the cliff and not fall off,” he said. “See how far you can take an audience and not lose them.”
Yaffee finds inspiration for his material “mostly accidentally,” he said. But it would perhaps be more accurate to say that he pays attention to everything. From the news and pop culture to what his friends share on social media. He insists there’s “no magic formula,” to his writing.
While some comedians prefer to not only push boundaries, but overstep them, Yaffee likes to keep things cleaner. “I try to be edgy, not dirty and I want people to feel good when they leave and not like they got beat up with a string of obscenities or painful topics,” he said.
Yaffee tries instead to unite the audience, which is the joy of comedy. “I think it’s great to see when a group of strangers can come together and unify for a night of positive energy and entertainment,” he said. “I enjoy it because it gives me a chance to see the country and express my creativity in a lot of different settings.”
Andrade’s history with comedy reads a little differently. He started listening to Bill Cosby and Robin Williams at a young age and developed somewhat of an obsession. Andrade said he can repeat any Cosby routine at the drop of a hat. “That’s how much I’ve listened to Bill Cosby and Robin Williams,” he said.
So it’s no surprise that Andrade describes his comedy as a mixture of the two.
At the age of 5, he performed his very first comedy routine, but it wasn’t anything by Cosby or Williams. Instead, he and his brother put on the well-known Abbott and Costello routine, “Who’s one First,” for a 4-H presentation. “The laughter we got and the fun and the excitement … just really got me thinking, ‘this is fun,’” Andrade recalled.
About five years later, Andrade started practicing magic with his older brother. They referenced a Jaw Droppers DVD and practiced a number of tricks together. Eventually his brother lost interest, but Andrade stuck with it.
His first trick involved pulling a penny from the back of someone’s hand and from that moment on, he was hooked. “The reaction of something so impossible being possible was so magical,” Andrade said. “I just loved the reaction.”
At the age of 8, Andrade also added balloon tying to his repertoire, to become a triple threat of sorts. He adopted the persona of Fill-Up the Clown, and started performing at birthday parties and events. He was a hit. “I remember the first time I made this little girl smile after I made a poodle balloon and she went and showed her mom and she ran back and hugged me,” Andrade said. “It was the greatest feeling in the world, I felt so happy.”
Though he wont be performing as Fill-Up the Clown at the Soper Reese, Andrade’s routine will combine both comedy and magic. The audience’s reaction is his biggest motivation. “I mix the two because if you can believe in something impossible and laugh while you’re doing it, why not?” he said. “You take someone from every day life and you bring them into a world filled with magic and laughter,” he explained.
Like Yaffee, Andrade finds inspiration for his material in his everyday life, which isn’t nearly as humorous as some may assume. “Contrary to what some people believe … magicians don’t lead very magical lives and comedians don’t lead very funny lives,” he said. “We just get what comes along and we see humor in it and we make it funny for ourselves. You have to look out into a crazy world and see all the craziness in it, laugh, and then you have to share that with people.”
Saturday’s show will be Andrade’s first time performing as a stand up comedian. He’s filled with nerves and excitement in equal measure. “Come with a smile and let’s have fun,” he said.
Comedy Night with Marc Yaffee and Friends is Saturday, June 27, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 and $18 and are available online at soperreesetheatre.com, at the theatre box office, or at the travel center in Lakeport.
Jennifer Gruenke can be reached at 900-2019.
