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Brick Wall Comedy
Brick Wall Comedy

Comedy Central Presents

Vanessa Hollingshead

Comedy Central · 2004 · 21 min

A cynical, high-energy half-hour of early-2000s New York stand-up.

Vanessa Hollingshead takes the stage with the restless, high-strung energy of a lifelong New Yorker who has seen too much and is ready to talk about all of it. Her performance is driven by a cynical edge, finding humor in her own anger management struggles and famously comparing her unruly curly hair to a drug addict living on top of her head. She avoids standard punchline setups in favor of a conversational, highly physical rant that makes her frustrations feel immediate and logical.

Taped at the Hudson Theatre in New York City, this 2004 half-hour showcase caught Hollingshead as she was cementing her reputation on the national club circuit. Along with her self-deprecating rants on beauty standards, she dedicates a significant portion of the set to her experience performing stand-up for American troops in the Middle East. It is a tight, fast-paced performance from a comic who spent years grinding in New York rooms before getting her national breakout.

The set list

4 bits

  1. Why her curly hair is like a drug addict living on top of her head

    Humorous comparison between managing unruly curly hair and living with an addict

  2. Struggles with addiction and the journey through recovery

    Candid and vulnerable storytelling reflecting on difficult moments and resilience

  3. Performing for the troops

    Drawing humor from her experience entertaining military personnel

  4. Unrealistic beauty standards and social expectations placed on women

    Satirical dissection of everyday rituals and social pressures

How it plays

Tone
Smart, candid, vulnerable, and no-holds-barred.
On stage
Smart, savvy, and sassy with razor-sharp wit, grounded in honesty and vulnerability with irreverence.
About
unrealistic beauty standards, performing for the troops, addiction and recovery, relationships with men, social expectations placed on women, racial inequality and sexual satisfaction

Backstory

Comedy Central stand-up showcase series taped in New York City with custom set designs reflecting each comic's material and personality.

Details

Released
Runtime
21 min
Where
Comedy Central
Director
Paul Miller
Topics

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