3 Mics NYC Reviews and Tickets
Member Reviews (15)
See it if you like to laugh and also feel. NB is wittily honest about issues in his life, like his battle with depression and his alcoholic dad.
Don't see it if you want an early night...the show starts late! If you don't like standup, skip 3 Mics (and figure out what's wrong with you?)
See it if you want to hear comedy delivered by an expert comic and touching storytelling by a suffering depressive. (Both by the same person, btw.)
Don't see it if you have no sense of humor or pathos... or if you are expecting a plot-driven storyline, chorus girls and expensive sets.
Critic Reviews (9)
"Neal Brennan’s three-cornered show doesn’t quite add up to a play; it’s more like listening to a decent comedy album while eavesdropping on someone’s therapy sessions...He switches from one microphone to another repeatedly, boldly changing the mood in a way that seems as if it should be intrusive but works just fine...The show lacks a through line that would tie the disparate elements together, but the depression segment is full of valuable, heartfelt insights."
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"The concept for Neal Brennan's one-man show admittedly sounds gimmicky...But it somehow works, making the evening considerably more than the sum of its parts. He may need three microphones to do it, but Brennan manages to be wildly funny and deeply moving at the same time...Getting a glimpse of the inner man behind the comic façade adds an unexpected depth to even the more conventional routines."
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"Blending heavy emotional drama with irreverent stand-up comedy is no easy task. Brennan has mastered that art in his solo show...He dives deep into issues that include an alcoholic father and his own battle with depression. What makes it so effective is the fact that there is a clarity of tone with blackouts between each set...He also does an excellent job of interspersing the serious stuff with liberal doses of laughs. The piece, under Drew Barr’s tight direction, never feels heavy laden."
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"There’s no need to quote any of the jokes he tells...What’s more pertinent is the overall effect of the unusual outing. As he does his three-way process, he’s really sketching in a comic’s existence...With '3 Mics,' Brennan is not just being the life of the party. He’s making a bold gesture. He’s confessing that a comic’s fun very possibly emanates from a much darker place. If the best comedy is comedy based on truth about the human condition, Brennan is up there with the best."
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"3 Mics' is quite simply the the most innovative comedy show I’ve seen in years...It’s a sobering transition from the hilarious stand-up, and successfully compelling...'3 Mics' is a must-see that delivers everything often lacking in stand-up."
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"Neal Brennan brings his sardonic biting humor to life in his first theatrical production...He truly opened up in a way we rarely get from celebrities. It was from the heart...If Disneyworld had a ride based on comedy this is what the ride would be like. . . with less cursing. Making stand up into a new format is not an easy task. Neal does just that...'3 Mics' has the potential to bring life to an art form that is in much need of a jump start."
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"'3 Mics' puts all of Brennan before us, which it turns out, is something that goes against his previous self-interest, as he acknowledges he's always looked for personal or professional cover, for someone to hide him from the spotlight...Be sure to pay attention to what he's telling you from that middle mic. That's where the heart of the show is. That's where the heart of any comedian is, really. And Brennan has a good heart."
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"The danger of a show like this is that it could end up being embarrassing to watch...This could easily be awkward if the stand-up material is shitty. But no need to worry. It’s good...Brennan himself is the rare personality that is both fastidious and fully candid at all times...The third mic is for one-liners. At first this seems extraneous—he’s basically reading tweets up there! But as the loose narrative goes on you realize: that might just be the key to the whole thing."
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"It became clear as Brennan moved from microphone to microphone that the cathartic release that comedy provides is a big reason why he has chosen it as a career. In '3 Mics,' he provided himself and his audience with that catharsis. We can’t recommend '3 Mics' enough to anyone who has a chance to see Neal Brennan’s show anywhere else. We’re not going to guarantee an hour packed with laughs, but it’ll be funny and, perhaps more importantly, it’ll make you feel."
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