Jeffrey Gurian Surprises Nick Kroll at Carnegie Hall
When the NY Comedy Festival is in session it’s always difficult to decide what shows to see because there are just so many! It’s seven days long, with more than 100 shows and more than 200 comedians, and with huge stars all in major venues in all 5 boroughs. But when I heard that Nick Kroll was going to headline Carnegie Hall I knew I had to attend. The only problem was it was already sold out. However thanks to Carolyn Gitomer and Louis Faranda from Carolines on Broadway I was actually able to attend.
Carnegie Hall was very strict on masks and vaccine cards and when I got there the lines of people showing their vax proof was very long, but fortunately it moved quickly, and each person got a pink ribbon bracelet put on personally by the staff to show they were ok. The audience had to wear their masks through the whole show and they did! My pass did not guarantee a seat so I had to meet Carolyn and Louis at the stage door while the stage manager was trying to find a place for us.
It gave me a chance to catch up with my buddy Louis who has many prestigious titles but basically he’s the general manager and runs Carolines since around 1994, besides booking all the talent for the festival. We were so engrossed in conversation that I missed Nick’s opening act Emmy Blotkin who Nick said he writes and tours with, and then Louis gave me his own special pass and we went through a series of corridors and elevators to get to the showroom where I took the one seat that seemed to be available in the very last row, which is why my photo of Nick on stage does not show the features on his face. I think I need to upgrade my i-Phone 7 Plus!
I could feel Nick’s excitement when he came out on stage to such huge applause. People really love him, and he’s so multi-talented with the voices, accents and characters he does on stage. There was no set, no special effects, just Nick Kroll in a cool brown suit and white sneaks, and a mic in a stand out on this huge stage. It was a breathtaking sight. The show was truly an insight into Nick’s life. It was hilariously funny as you might expect but also very sensitive, very moving, touching, and wonderful as he discussed personal events in his life, like the first time he experienced love at 32 years of age, the first time he experienced heartbreak at 33 years of age, and how he considers himself to be a “crier.” He tears up at beautiful moments which he did once during the show.
I really respect a man who can connect with his sensitivity and not be threatened by it. But when he talked about how he met his wife Lily and how he knew right away that she was his “person”, … that for me was probably the most special part of the show. And now they have a two-month-old son who he said he attempted to name “Kilometer Kroll” because he’s really into the metric system! Several times he described his son as being “soooo cute” and told some great stories about him, including one where he lost his wife’s engagement ring, and blamed it on his son! (LOL) The hour and change flew by as it tends to do when you’re laughing a lot, and he finished to absolutely HUGE applause, and then stood there waving to the crowd which is when I tried to get a photo, but as you can see my i-Phone 7 Plus let me down.
Carnegie Hall is listed as having a capacity of 3671 seats, so just imagine all those people streaming toward the exits. I really wanted to go backstage and congratulate Nick, but I couldn’t find my way back the way I had come. My ADHD always kicks my butt. A kindly usher saw my dilemma and offered to guide me in the right direction. She was very firm and had everyone move out of the way as we made our way down corridors and into an elevator that took us to the floor where Nick was.There was really no one outside and there were these big white double doors with Nick’s name on it so I figured I was in the right place. I knocked lightly and I heard Nick say “Come in”. Expecting a large crowd, I opened the door hesitantly to loud laughter from Nick and from super-agent Mike Berkowitz as soon as they saw me.Mike, btw, is at WME and he books all the tours for some of the biggest acts in the biz.
As the door opened and I entered the room, celeb photographer Marcus Russell Price, who was recently written up in the NY Post as being the photographer all major comedians want to be photographed by, started taking photos of me, as well as Nick’s reaction to me being there. Then before I knew it, Nick whipped out his phone and started recording a video that said, … and I’m paraphrasing, … “I just got off stage from my show at Carnegie Hall and it was amazing but they’re very strict about backstage policy and my family was not able to come back and see me, but this man was,” and then he pointed his phone at me and I was able to laughingly congratulate him on his masterful performance. Truthfully I felt a bit embarrassed that his family wasn’t able to come up and I got in. I like going back to congratulate a friend after a great and important show, but I don’t like to impose on anyone. You can see the whole thing on my Instagram page if you are so inclined. He also said “Besides my family who else would I want back here but this man Jeffrey Gurian.” Then his wife Lily came in and we all stepped out to give them some privacy. A few minutes later, we all left in the elevator together and when Nick hit the street there were several fans waiting to greet him and he graciously took photos with everyone who asked because that’s the kind of guy he is! A real mensch in the truest sense of the word!!!
Nick can be seen or heard in “The Addams Family 2”, and upcoming films “Sing 2” and Olivia Wilde’s “Don’t Worry Darling” with Harry Styles and Florence Pugh. He’s also currently guest starring in the hit FX comedy “What We Do In The Shadows”, Apple’s “Dickinson”, HBO Max’s “Our Flag Means Death”, and Apple’s “Roar” with Issa Rae.
PHOTO CREDIT-MARCUS RUSSSELL PRICE WHO CAUGHT ME JUST AS I WAS ENTERING THE ROOM. THAT’S MIKE BERKOWITZ LAUGHING
PHOTO CREDIT MARCUS RUSSELL PRICE – CAUGHT NICK FILMING THE VIDEO WITH MIKE HYSTERICAL ON THE SIDELINES
WITH MARCUS RUSSELL PRICE PHOTOG TO THE COMICS
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