Cedric the Entertainer to perform residency at Flappers
Cedric the Entertainer has plenty to do, with regular arena comedy tours and roles on TV Land’s “Soul Man” and his newest film “Barbershop: The Next Cut” with Ice Cube, due April 16. But his need to stay sharp and current on a comedy stage is the same as ever, leading the popular comic to take on a weekly Monday night residency at Flappers in Burbank.
“Even when I take a break of two months, it actually is a little scary to go back onstage,” Cedric said backstage this week, in a room crowded with young comics, wandering in and out. He’ll be performing and hosting the full night every week through February and March on “Make ‘Em Laugh Mondays.”
On the second Monday of his residency, Cedric spoke with Marquee about his life onstage.
Marquee: Doing this residency seems like adding to an already busy situation for you.
Cedric the Entertainer: Yeah, I’m planning on shooting a special for Netflix, and I’ve been out on tour with the guys of “The Comedy Get Down,” which is arena comedy. I want to be a little more personal onstage and more current, so I had to figure out a way to get onstage a lot more. Being a standup first – it’s about being in the gym. I have a busy schedule. It makes Mondays a fun night. It’s exhilarating to be around young comics, and it’s good to get up in front of an audience that doesn’t feel like Hollywood already. That’s what I like about being here in Burbank.
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Very successful musicians will sometimes take a break from amphitheaters and arenas to play a club show now and then, but it’s not a weekly thing. What is it about the club stage that is so important to comics?
It’s that idea of being in an environment like how you started. It’s not a lot of pressure. You’re not charging people your top concert dollar. You’re sharpening your knife on other jokes. Comics look for that opportunity to get better and have fun and go back to the old days with it. Don’t worry about the famous part.
How does being onstage keep you current?
You have to be a lot more aware. You have to be a lot more present. Because things are happening in the moment, it allows you to talk about current events and try a joke even though you may not have it shaped all the way. I can freestyle. I can let something I had no idea I was going to say come out and see if it takes me somewhere.
At the end of his life, Richard Pryor was still showing up onstage at the Comedy Store even when he was in a wheelchair.
For most comedians, it really is a weird addiction. Usually they can’t help it – they need that therapy. They need an opportunity to walk up and get it out of their system. I’m more observational. I more enjoy what I do onstage. I’m not a guy with a tormented soul that’s got to go out and rip people up. I really do it for the joy of it.
What kind of material are you doing at Flappers?
I’ll try new things. And I’ll get up and try to be free. I like to let go of the handlebars, where you literally let go and see what happens for a few pedals.
You used to do a lot of jokes about George W. Bush, and then you did the White House Correspondents dinner in 2005 with him sitting right there.
That was a weird one. Interesting enough, he’s nothing like the TV persona. He thought it was funny. He told me so many people have done jokes on him. He was a different kind of cool when you met him in person. He’s not really as doofus as he comes off, for whatever reason.
Have you been following the election?
The whole Trump thing is big. And lately, after the caucuses – I find the word “caucus” pretty damn hilarious. I don’t even know what it is. I use “caucus” throughout the day, even at Starbucks: “Put a little caucus in there for me.” The world of politics right now is kind of messy. I don’t know what’s going to happen this election. You could see a place where there’s no winner – like with kids, where everybody gets a trophy. That’s how it feels.
As someone who’s worked frequently as a host, how did you react to your friend Steve Harvey’s error at the Miss Universe pageant?
You know, that’s my partner right there. In the moment on live television, the weirdest things can happen at any given time. I felt for him. He handled it like a man and made the best out of a bad situation. In hosting “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” I definitely had some faux pas, but luckily we shot on tape and we had a chance to go fix it. It’s like being on Broadway: if you mess up, you’ve got to figure out a way to dig out of the hole.
On Feb. 21, you are going to Flint, Mich., for a benefit performance?
Me and the guys are going to Flint. We’re going to give to the Flint kids organizations — those kids who were affected by the lead poisoning in the water and their medical treatment is where we want to give our money to. We wanted to help those who have already been damaged.
I’m a Midwest guy, but we all could find ourselves in that kind of situation. It ended up being personal because I live near the Porter Ranch gas leak. My kids and everyone — we’re out and living in a hotel now. All that is real, and you realize how people can be affected by things like that. I guess I’m out of the tax bracket where people would do a fundraiser for me. I’m going to be really sad onstage tonight and see if I can raise a little money.
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What: Cedric the Entertainer, “Make ‘Em Laugh Mondays”
When: Mondays in February and March, 8 p.m.
Where: Flappers Comedy Club & Restaurant, 102 Magnolia Blvd., Burbank.
Tickets: $25 (with two-item minimum)
More info: (818) 845-9721, flapperscomedy.com
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Steve Appleford, steve.appleford@latimes.com
Twitter: @SteveAppleford
