Comedy proves a winning formula for Arden Gild Hall with big names on the way

Jake Johannsen, who performed stand-up a record 46 times for David Letterman, will play Arden Gild Hall on Saturday, May 11. Tickets are available at ardenconcerts.com. He will be the latest in a string of nationally known headlining comedians to perform there.

How does Arden keep attracting all these incredible comedy acts to this little barn in the woods? I have some ideas.

As president of Congregation Beth Shalom Men's Club for almost a decade, I orchestrated a diverse array of events, from Sunday brunches with guest speakers to adventurous outings like ziplining, canoeing and knockerball, not to mention a latka-making extravaganza known as Latkapalooza.

However, I believe that booking comedian Rabbi Bob Alpert for a CBS fundraiser foreshadowed my future.

Approaching the end of my tenure at the Men's Club, I met with Ron Ozer, who leads Arden Concert Gild, to discuss my interest in joining. The all-volunteer Gild has been curating shows of virtually every music genre at Gild Hall since 1997. I emphasized to Ron that the programming, organizing, and marketing skills I honed at CBS, coupled with my music background from years at the legendary Jeremiah's Record Exchange, would make me a great fit for his team. He agreed.

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Before my first meeting with Arden, I was instructed to propose potential acts to the team. Ron cautioned me to brace for some disappointments, as the team sifts through numerous ideas for each approval. Reflecting on my recent attendance at a music festival at sea called Cayamo, I considered several acts. The festival showcased an array of remarkable headlining musicians such as Jason Isbell, Emmylou Harris and the Indigo Girls, alongside several promising lesser-known artists.

On board was one of my all-time favorite singers, Australian country star, Kasey Chambers. I pitched Kasey and a few other Cayamo performers. Regrettably, all proposals did not proceed due to logistical constraints or perceived lack of draw.

At the next meeting I asked the team if they ever thought of bringing in comedians in to perform. I knew quite a bit about comedy since I was a huge fan of the art form and performed stand up myself many years ago. They told me the idea had come up previously, but no one had pursued it.

With this insight, I advocated for a comedian I admired and believed suitable for our venue: Emo Philips. Renowned for his idiosyncratic style characterized by a high-pitched, falsetto voice and offbeat delivery, Emo possessed the charm and wit to captivate an Arden audience. While granted approval to pursue Emo, logistical hurdlessuch as travel from Los Angeles and a sporadic touring schedule ultimately provedinsurmountable.

Undeterred, I recalled seeing the hilarious New York comedian Judy Gold perform locally at the Siegel JCC. Leveraging my contacts, I secured the support of the Jewish Federation of Delaware to co-sponsor the event, thereby broadening our marketing reach and mitigating financial risk. With the team’s backing and after negotiating terms with Judy's manager, I successfully booked Arden's first comedy show. Judy's performance on Nov. 23, 2019, left the near-capacity crowd in stitches.

Our first foray into comedy was a success. The pandemic temporarily slowed programming at Arden. Nonetheless, two and a half years later, we welcomed our second New York comedian, Christian Finnegan, for another uproarious evening. Despite a smaller COVID turnout, the event was deemed a resounding success.

Encouraged by our accomplishments, I ventured again to bring in comedians from the West Coast, like Noah Gardenswartz of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel'' fame and Jackie Kashian, a seasoned road comic who I absolutely adore. Jackie, who killed in front of a sold-out crowd and sold a ton of merchandise after the show, was more than happy to put me in touch with two of her friends that would play well to an Arden audience.

Following her show she commented on her podcast, "When I came out on stage in Arden, Delaware, and looked at that audience and I thought of two words. Ophira Eisenberg. They looked like they just came from listening to NPR." Jackie's endorsement led me to Ophira Eisenberg, whose remarkable performance further solidified Arden's reputation as a destination for top-tier comedy.

Jackie also facilitated contact with our next comedian on May 11, Jake Johannsen.

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In summary, the journey from booking Bob Alpert to curating a vibrant comedy scene at Arden has been a testament to persistence, creativity, and the power of laughter to unite communities.

Spoiler Alert: The legendary comedy icon Emo Philips has been booked to perform in Arden on Nov. 2. Tickets will go on sale on Monday, May 13.

David Fruchtman books comedy for Arden Gild Hall.