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Brick Wall Comedy
Brick Wall Comedy

Right Here, Around the Corner

Ray Romano

Netflix · 2019 · 59 min

Two unannounced club sets in New York after twenty years away.

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Instead of renting out an ornate theater to collect a victory lap, Ray Romano decided to film his first special in over two decades by dropping in unannounced at the Comedy Cellar. The resulting hour is split into two club sets—one at the Cellar, and the next immediately after at the Village Underground just around the corner. Because the audiences are just regular drop-in crowds who did not buy tickets specifically to see him, Romano has to earn the room the old-fashioned way. He does so with a surprisingly blue set that plays on his familiar, self-deprecating persona.

It was 2019, a period where Romano was enjoying a transition into dramatic film acting, and he had not released a stand-up special since 1996. The material here plays heavily on the physical indignities of turning 61 and the realities of a long-term marriage, including a memorable bit about needing to take a knee to catch his breath during sex. He also spends time on his domestic life, skewering his teenage son’s hygiene habits and recounting the logistical headaches of buying his mother a new house.

Directed by Michael Showalter, the special has a loose, documentary-style framing that follows Romano walking through the streets of Greenwich Village between sets. Critics generally welcomed the special as a refreshing alternative to the heavy-handed, message-driven stand-up of the late 2010s, noting that Romano remains a highly efficient joke writer who prefers simple, relatable punchlines to grand cultural statements.

The set list

5 bits

  1. Making friends at different stages of life

    Contrasts needing friends who can get you things in your 20s, lawyers in your 40s for divorce or internet photos, and doctors in your 50s and 60s.

  2. Physical effects of aging on the groin

    Observes that an accidental elbow to the groin at age 61 doesn't hurt as much anymore, comparing the impact to punching a curtain.

  3. Son running out of gas on the freeway

    Recounts a phone call with his son Joe stranded on the 101 freeway who calmly noted that traffic behind him was bad but moving well in front of him.

  4. Taking a knee during sex

    Explains that taking a knee during marital sex wasn't a protest, but merely running the clock out on his wife.

  5. Killing a spider in the shower

    Admits he killed a shower spider solely because it witnessed him masturbating.

How it plays

Tone
Warm, self-deprecating, honest, relaxed, and surprisingly blue at times.
On stage
Self-deprecating everyman, amiably muttering, befuddled husband and father who admits his shortcomings.
Pace
Relaxed and cozy yet driven by palpable underlying nerves, conversational and unhurried.
About
Aging and physical decline, Marriage and long-term relationships, Adult children and parenting, Friendship across life stages, Sex and bodily shortcomings

What the critics said

Critics highlighted the special as an unpretentious, charming, and warm return to stand-up that eschews polished theater pomp to capture the raw, intimate energy of a classic New York comedy club drop-in.

In the room: Surprised and electric upon recognizing the unannounced sitcom star in an intimate room, giving roars of recognition before settling into a regular club dynamic.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: themoviedb.org, allmovie.com, decider.com, vulture.com, pastemagazine.com, vanityfair.com, imdb.com.

Backstory

Filmed as two surprise drop-in sets at the Comedy Cellar and Village Underground in Greenwich Village, returning to where Romano began his career 32 years prior.

Details

Released
Taped
The Comedy Cellar and Village Underground, New York
Runtime
59 min
Where
Netflix
Director
Michael Showalter
Topics
Before
Live at Carnegie Hall (2001)

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