By Robin Trojanowicz
Staff Writer
Welcome back, everyone. With the start of yet another school year upon us comes the start of another year full of entertainment. Looking for something to take away the stress of your fall schedule? What’s better at relieving stress than hearing some laugh out loud comedy? Okay, so maybe curling up with a pint of Ben & Jerry’s is more your style, but that ice cream won’t entertain you as much as Bernadette Pauley, Al Ducharme, and Ronnie Jordan can!
So just who are these comedians? I’m glad you asked. Bernadette Pauley is a Massachusetts native who got her start doing theatrical work in off-Broadway productions. She minored in Theater at Emerson College in Boston, and wound up in New York City to try her hand at acting. Some time later, Ms. Pauley became a member of New York improv group, Spilt Milk. Ten years later she is still in the stand-up business. Within that decade, she performed at several comedy festivals,, and was even featured on the Comedy Central program Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn. Dealing with the stereotypes that come with being a female comedian, Ms. Pauley has put them to good use, allowing herself to overcome any assumptions people make about her material. So don’t let her looks and girl-next-door persona fool you, rumor has it she’s just one of the guys when it comes to cracking jokes.
Al Ducharme has been taking comedy clubs by storm for the past 10 years as well. Serving as a versatile artist, Mr. Ducharme has displayed his talent in areas outside of the comedy circuit. For starters, he hosted the show Mission: Organization on HGTV (Home and Garden Television). He has even been featured in commercials for the Ford Motor Company. But it doesn’t stop there; he’s even done voiceovers for radio and animated CD-Rom software. Throughout the routine, his use of comical characters, celebrity impressions and lively sound effects never makes for a dull moment. He performs regularly at comedy clubs around Manhattan, where he resides with wife, Bernadette Pauley. Yep, they’re married. The Pauley/Ducharme comedy tour made its stop at Marywood on September 17 with much success.
The next comic, Ronnie Jordan, comes to us from Atlanta, Georgia. His comedy career took off back in 2001, and was later named “Rookie of the Year,” by Atlanta’s Uptown Comedy Corner. He’s been booked for comedy tours ever since, so it’s no surprise Marywood was able to snag him for an appearance. When he’s not busy out on the road, Mr. Jordan can be found helping out in his hometown community. He enjoys mentoring at-risk youth who have a childhood much like his own. Ronnie Jordan will grace the campus on September 24 in the Woods Café, at 9:00 p.m.
Well, there you have it, now you know a little bit about the comedians, so there is no excuse not to go out and support them. They’ll return the favor with a good laugh.