Glenn Farrington
A boom-era club veteran who hides punchlines inside of card tricks.
1 special · 1991
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Glenn Farrington works the stage with the fast, personable rhythm of a guy who spent the late eighties living in comedy clubs. He wears a tie, keeps his energy high, and never lets a silence stretch. The act is built on misdirection. He will produce a deck of cards and start a story, using a constant shuffle and chatty crowd work to distract you from his hands. You watch the deck, and the joke hits you from the side.
Specials
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MTV Half-Hour Comedy Hour: Episode #1.77 with Laura Lynn Berrios, Ron Darian & 6 more
A 1991 cable comedy showcase featuring Tom Kenny and Laura Kightlinger.
MTV · 30 min
On stage
He is an archetype of the boom-era survivor. While his peers either burned out or settled into grinding out road gigs, Farrington built a parallel career that makes him an anomaly in modern rooms. He lacks the desperate, sweat-soaked need of a comic who only has standup to keep him afloat. He is on stage simply because he enjoys the mechanics of a trick.
The material leans on friendly, improvisational crowd work. He does not go dark or pick on the front row. Instead, he plays the affable host, keeping the tone light while he sets up an illusion. The jokes are traditional, designed to serve the magic rather than stand completely on their own. He delivers an unapologetic, old-school style of club entertainment, entirely focused on controlling the temperature of the room.
That comfortable presence comes from a resume that looks like a series of dares. Farrington performs close-up magic at the Magic Castle. He writes for television, publishes graphic novels, and spent years building early WiFi networks for cruise ships. The sheer variety of his day jobs strips the anxiety out of his standup.
At a glance
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