Kelly MacFarland likes to tell people that she’s a nice, normal person, with the same trials and tribulations as everybody. Unlike the rest of us, however, MacFarland enjoys sharing it all with an audience.
A stand-up comic for more than 20 years now, MacFarland brings her act to the GE Theatre at Proctors Saturday at 3 and again at 8 p.m. for the Ladies of Laughter. Sharing the stage with her will be fellow comics, Jocelyn Chia, Robin Fox and Jane Condon. Tickets are $25.
Born in Winthrop, Maine, a small town in the middle of the state, MacFarland headed to Portland to learn more about performing comedy and honing her craft. She eventually ended up doing gigs in Boston, which she now calls home. She was on season one of NBC’s reality show, “The Biggest Loser,” she’s appeared on Comedy Central in “Premium Blend,” and she worked with Fred Willard as part of a rambunctious news team on “TV Network” on Turner Entertainment’s broadband site, SuperDeluxe.com.
She talked to the Gazette earlier this week.
Question: How did you get started doing stand-up?
Answer: I was always one of those kids who loved acting. I was also a little singer and a little dancer, and I loved comedy. I loved watching the Carol Burnett show growing up. Then I realized at one point that doing comedy could be a job that you could actually have. In my 20s I started doing stand-up and I never stopped. I started at a small coffee club in Portland. I was there for about a year and then I started heading to Boston a couple of times a week to do open mic shows down there. After about two years I moved there.
Q: What was it like in those early days?
A: It was fun, but it was a lot of hard work. It’s always going to be hard work because it’s not an easy profession to be in. You feel like you’re always hustling, always trying to find work and put food on the table.
Q: How would you describe your act?
A: I’m not a one-liner comic. It’s more like, “the world according to Kelly.” I am a pretty normal, nice person, with a normal life most of the time, and my comedy is stories from that life. It’s comedy people can relate to easily. I talk about what most people in their 40s are talking about and dealing with. Yeah, it’s the world according to Kelly. It’s fun and wacky, and people seem to respond to it.
Q: Do you get into politics?
A: Politics? No, I do not get into politics. I was never a very political comic, and this is not the time to start. I point out things that everyone sees, but people can’t point out in the normal world. I point things out to people, and there’s always a lot of laughs along the way.
Q: Do you get nervous before a show?
A: I don’t think I get nervous, but it’s not old hat. I do get excited about every single show I do. The audiences are always different, and maybe some of them have seen me before and some haven’t. I want to make people feel really happy that they went out. There’s nothing better on a Saturday night then sitting back and relaxing and having a good time. That’s how I want to make them feel.
Q: What was working with Fred Willard like?
A: He’s amazing. He’s a delightful man to work with, and hilarious. Fred’s more of a sketch comic actor, so I felt so lucky to have been cast in that show. We played a fake news team and I was out in the field covering the news. No one knew we were fake. We had so much fun. It was hilarious.
Q: Are you going to talk at all about the recent sexual harassment issues coming to light in show business?
A: No, there’s nothing funny about sexual harassment, and I don’t think there’s that much difference between us people in the entertainment business and people with other jobs. This isn’t just happening in the entertainment world. It’s happening in the business world, too. It’s very refreshing to me that people are actually dialing in and listening. It’s good we’re all aware that this problem exists. But no, that will not be a part of my show Saturday night. I’ll leave that for a panel discussion of the issue if anyone wants to have me on the panel.
Q: You recently got married. So, do you still enjoy all the traveling?
A: I do. I’ll be in Wisconsin the night before I’m at Proctors, and then I’ll be back in Saratoga a few weeks later at the Comedy Works. I love it. And yes, I did get married, and I will definitely tell everyone all about it at Proctors. My husband is a hot topic right now.