Samantha Acevedo
Staff Writer
I&I Brewing in Chino hosted a two-hour Cosmic Comedy night featuring performers Mario Rodriguez, Damon Monday, Jonathan Bird, Robyn Finch, Greg Sanchez and Zach Miller on Sunday.
About 20 people attended the intimate event.
With self-deprecating humor about things like drugs, failed marriages, parenting, and other touchy topics, all six performers adapted and improvised to appeal to individuals in the small audience.
The most well-liked set was Greg Sanchez’s act focused on generational trauma and awkward encounters. At one point he talked about dealing with badly behaved kids in a restaurant.
Alyssa Elsenpeter, a friend of comedian and host Zach Miller, said she showed up to support her friend.
“I go to comedy shows often,” Elsenpeter said.
“It’s … fun to see them somewhere local,” said Hillary Munch, another friend of Miller.
All of the comedians in Sunday’s show were from Southern California.
Monday, who is based in Pasadena, said he has been working in the entertainment industry since he was 17. He shifted from music to comedy in the past few years.
As a comic, Monday said, he likes to tell personal stories the audience can connect to their own lives.
Event organizer and comedian Zach Miller put the show together.
Miller, who has been performing in comedy clubs for 20 years, said his first major stand-up comedy competition helped him see his strengths and weaknesses as a comedian.
“I first did comedy in Pittsburgh in July 2003,” Miller said. “I was terrible at stand-up comedy, I know that now 20 years later.”
But he stuck with it, he said, adding that he believes comedy is the ultimate form of free speech.
“We can say the things no one else can say. We’re the jesters,” Miller said. “The king can’t kill us because the king just looks stupid.
“I feel like my material is built for any crowd,” Miller added. “But when I’m in Chino I definitely shout out to Stater Bros.”
Cosmic Comedy can be seen at several venues across Southern California. For more information visit @thecosmiccomedyshow on Instagram.
Samantha Acevedo can be reached at samantha.acevedo@laverne.edu.
Samantha Acevedo is a junior journalism major and a staff writer for the Campus Times.
