Hannibal Buress's time has arrived
If you are unaware of who Hannibal Buress is, then you haven't been looking. The 32-year-old stand- up comic has been honing his craft since he was 19-years-old and can be found seemingly everywhere these days. He's the next big thing you may not have discovered yet.
Buress can be seen on the critically-acclaimed Comedy Central show "Broad City," which is in the midst of its second season. He co-hosts "The Eric Andre Show," now in its third season on Adult Swim where he is the ideal laid-back counterpart to Andre's manic energy.
He's had parts in feature films, including last summer's hit comedy, "Neighbors," where he starred along with Seth Rogan and Zac Effron. He just completed shooting his next feature film, "Daddy's Home," where he will appear alongside Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg.
Buress brings his multi-city "Comedy Camisado" tour to the region: March 26, Grand Opera House, Wilmington, Del., and 8 p.m. March 27, Sands Bethlehem Event Center.
Buress, who recently finished taping the "Comedy Central Roast" of Justin Bieber set to air at 10 p.m. March 30, was in Los Angeles, enjoying a rare day off from performing. In a phone interview, he says he planned on spending his day "relaxing by the pool and watching roast videos" in preparation for the taping of the Bieber roast. "I met him briefly. He seemed like a nice kid," says Buress.
Buress has either worked with or toured alongside an A-List of comedians, including Louis C.K. Mindy Kaling, Aziz Ansari, Sarah Silverman and Amy Schumer. He consistently appears atop critics' short lists of up and coming comedians and is a favorite guest on the late-night talk show circuit.
He's been nominated for a primetime Emmy and Writer's Guild of America awards for his work as a writer for NBC's "Saturday Night Live" and "30 Rock." He's to star on his own TV show now in development for Comedy Central.
When asked what audiences can expect from his stand-up tour, Buress says, "It's mostly new material. And I incorporate some older jokes for people that know my older stand-up. It's gonna be me just talking about life and what's been happening, being 32 and just dealing with what my life is: traveling, working, family, sports and all of that."
The tour has taken Buress to a variety of rooms, ranging from large historic theaters to mid-size concert halls and smaller spaces. "You've got to approach it a little bit different when it's [a venue] with a few thousand seats. It's a different energy. You've got to kind of feel the space a little bit."
"I enjoy being a performer in a theater. These venues have a lot of history and a lot of great performers have performed at them, so I am glad to get to be a part of those groups."
"Performing at a comedy club will always be special. It's a comedy club, so people are tight together and that energy is really awesome, especially a well-constructed comedy club. You can't really beat that.
"But a theater has, you know, great architecture and amazing sound and construction and is also a really good place to perform in. It's just cool because I performed in all types of places from 280-seat comedy clubs to, you know, 600-seat rock venues to 2,000-seat old theaters. So, it's been cool just learning and adjusting what I need to adjust."
Preparing and testing out new material often occurs on the fly because of his increasingly busy schedule.
"It depends if I have the time," Buress says regarding previewing new material. "If I am just running through and I'm doing a bunch of tour dates then I've just got to just try it in the show and a lot of times it works out OK. If you fit it in a good place in the show, it works," says Buress. "If I'm off the road and I'm in L.A. or New York or Chicago, wherever I am, if I have off days to go try it [new material] if it's at comedy clubs or open mics, then I'll do that.
"I've played Bethlehem, but I didn't play Sands. I played a smaller room at SteelStacks, like 300-400 people. That was couple years ago."
Buress has performed at casinos on occasion. "I haven't played that many casinos, actually. I've played Foxwoods a few times.
"It's fun [playing casinos]. I played Atlantic City a month or so ago. It's fun, but the energy is a little different in a casino. You're doing a show for a thousand people at a casino and some of those [people] have lost a lot of money. So yeah, that's a different thing than doing a regular gig.
"There's definitely somebody in there at a casino that has to explain some [stuff] to their family over the next 48 hours. I'm a gambler, but I like to consider myself a responsible gambler. Some people gamble and they kind of ruin themselves a little bit. I never want to gamble to the point where I've got to call my dad up."
"I haven't done enough [casinos] to really get the overall vibe of them but the couple that I have done have been good. So, hopefully, Bethlehem doesn't [mess] that up," laughs Buress.
If he has an opportunity time-wise, Buress will try to unwind the day of a show. He likes to explore his surroundings if possible.
"If I get in in the morning, I go get some food, go catch a movie sometimes on the road. It depends. If I'm feeling kind of tight, I go get a massage because I've been flying a bunch so my back can get weird sometimes.
"I walk around try to get a feel for the city if I can. To see if I can get a local joke. I'll check out the local newspaper. It's nothing crazy. It's just trying to kill time before the show, really."