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Brick Wall Comedy
Brick Wall Comedy

You Woke Up Today

Kelly MacFarland

Apple Music · Album · 2017 · 51 min

A warm, dry comedy album about the realities of middle age.

Listen on Apple Music(opens in a new tab)

Kelly MacFarland performs like a very funny friend who is deeply relieved she does not have to impress you anymore. Her second stand-up album captures the specific relief of hitting middle age, settling down as a stepmom, and letting the mask slip in front of her husband. There is no bravado or posturing here—just a veteran comic who has completely accepted who she is and is happy to walk you through the domestic absurdities of her life.\n\nThe album was recorded at ImprovBoston in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and released in January 2017 by Blonde Medicine. Coming off a busy stretch that included a first-place finish in the 2016 Ladies of Laughter competition and an appearance on Last Comic Standing, MacFarland used the recording to showcase a highly personal style of storytelling.\n\nShe builds routines around mundane irritations, like the physical trials of going on a hike, the strange geometry of a “T-Rex Birthday Cake,” and the subtle power dynamics of bringing hot dips to a party. Her perspective on marriage is particularly pointed, treating it not as a fairy tale, but as a funny sort of truce where “someone finally caught you.” This easygoing candor earned the album praise as one of the year’s best, cementing MacFarland’s reputation as a comic who doesn’t need theatrical tricks to get a room on her side.

The set list

5 bits

  1. Morning pep talks to her stepson (You Woke Up Today)

    Giving positive yet brutally honest morning pep talks to her eleven-year-old stepson.

  2. Being told 'Someone Finally Caught You'

    Reacting to comments about marrying later in life with indignation and joking about luring men to her window with pie to knock them out and force marriage.

  3. Adjacent hotel room sounds (Murder Hotel)

    Dealing with the bizarre situation of masturbating to sounds of what seemed like a potential murder next door.

  4. Hot Dips and weekend mornings

    Contrasting hyperactive early-morning overachievers with her own desire to stay inside without pants enjoying hot dips.

  5. Landing the Plane (Bonus Track)

    Directly improvising and joking with audience members who got up to leave their seats despite being told not to move during the live recording.

How it plays

Tone
Warm, cheerful, conversational, snarky, and truthful.
On stage
Relatable, confident, conversational, and direct with an unbothered attitude and cheerful skepticism, eschewing ingratiating self-deprecation.
Pace
Easygoing, conversational, intimate, and highly present with the audience.
About
Marriage and becoming an older bride, Stepparenting, Suburban life, Skepticism toward excessive enthusiasm and social obligations, Comfort and lounging

What the critics said

Praised as a welcoming, easy, and relatable listen that highlights MacFarland's sharp, truthful storytelling and unforced onstage confidence.

In the room: An intimate, attentive, 90-seat room energy where MacFarland engaged closely with the crowd.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: theinterrobang.com, radio.assisfeijo.com, en.m.wikipedia.org, vulture.com, nickzaino.com, audienceaccess.co.

Backstory

Adjusting to a settled suburban lifestyle in Boston after getting married and becoming a stepmother to an eleven-year-old boy, shifting toward a more relaxed personal and comedic outlook.

Details

Released
Taped
ImprovBoston, Cambridge
Runtime
51 min
Where
Apple Music (album)
Topics

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