A portion of Friday night's proceeds will benefit Rays of Hope.
From left, Erin Foley, Rachel Feinstein, Renee Gauthier and Erin Jackson of "Pumps & Punchlines."
Symphony Hall’s upcoming night of comedy may be called “Pumps and Punchlines,” but it does not mean that men are barred from attending.
It’s just that they will definitely be in the minority on Friday when the four female comics take the downtown Springfield stage.
“Our show is definitely advertised to women who make up about 80 percent of the audience. It’s one of those things where you want to leave your husband alone at home and have a nice girl’s night out. It’s honestly geared toward women, but men can have a good time, too, because all the comedy isn’t specifically geared toward women,” said comedian Erin Foley about the night of comedy filled with no topic off limits from gossip to sex and from men to family and friends.
Foley said she is happy to be sharing the stage with three other women on Friday night.
“I think it’s wonderful to have four ladies performing together. Most clubs will put one woman on with two or three guys, although it is starting to get better,” she said about the world of male-dominated comedy bills.
“There is a lot of camaraderie on our tour dates and I’m just so pleased to be working with three other women whom I’ve known for a long time and who are some of my favorites,” she added.
Foley, a recent transplant to Los Angeles, spent years in New York City’s comedy clubs mastering the art of stand-up comedy while successfully pursuing her acting career. In New York and Los Angeles, she can be regularly seen at Gotham Comedy Club, Caroline’s on Broadway, The Improv, The Laugh Factory and Stand Up New York. She has also performed at the Just for Laughs TBS Comedy Festival in Chicago, Marshall’s Women in Comedy Festival, and Montreal Comedy Festival. Foley has also filmed several national television commercial campaigns and is currently filming a comedy pilot for E! Entertainment. She recently shot her own comedy special for Comedy Central and has taped “Chelsea Lately” and “The Kilborn File” on FOX. In addition to the small screen, Foley has flexed her acting chops in the short films “Cried Suicide” and “Squeezplay,” and was cast in Cameron Crowe’s film “Almost Famous.”
The comedian/actress said she is pleased with promoters of the tour who are bringing them to cities just outside the major markets, as well as the fact they are having a chance to perform outside the club atmosphere.
“I think it’s great to be able to bring our comedy to other places outside Philly or Boston, for example, where there is also a need for entertainment without having to drive into the big city,” said Foley.
“We also get to perform in these gorgeous theaters and we don’t have to deal with servers taking drink orders and other distractions for us and the audience. Ticket prices in theaters may be higher than for a club, but we know that those in the audience really want to be there. So, it’s something that is really pure and for us all about connecting with the audience,” she added.
As for Foley’s comedy cohorts, FeIinstein headlines comedy clubs and colleges across the country and has performed internationally at the Just For Laughs comedy festival in Montreal, Glasgow Comedy Festival, and participated in a U.S Military tour in Korea. Her first comedy album will be released soon on Comedy Central Records. Feinstein developed her character-driven style by opening for her father’s blues band as a kid and doing impressions of various loud and jarring relatives. She was a finalist on NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” and has been featured on “Russell Simmon’s Presents Live at the El Ray,” TBS’s “Just For Laughs” series and “Comics Unleashed,” and on many other shows and independent films.
Since first making a name for herself at colleges and East Coast comedy clubs, Jackson has garnered national attention with performances on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and Comedy Central’s “Live at Gotham.” She was a semifinalist on “Last Comic Standing,” and was a featured writer and performer for TBS’s “Bitcom” series. She was invited by HBO to open for Bill Maher at the tapings for his latest HBO special, and recently served as the warm-up comedian for BET’s” Black Girls Rock! Awards Show.” She has appeared on Byron Allen’s Comedy.TV and can currently be seen starring in her own IFC “Comedy Moment Moment.”
Chicago native Gauthier has been seen doing stand up on “Last Call With Carson Daly” and “Last Comic Standing”. Her other credits include serving as a recurring panelist for “Chelsea Lately,” “50 Most Epic Moments” on E! and was chosen as a “New Face” for TBS “Just For Laughs Comedy Festival” in Montreal.
A portion of the night’s proceeds will benefit Rays of Hope – A Walk/Run Toward the Cure of Breast Cancer. Also, four Springfield restaurants – Adolfo’s, Nadim’s, The Student Prince and Fort Restaurant, and Theodore’s will offer discounts and specials for those showing their Pumps and Punchlines show ticket.