UPDATED AGAIN: "Addicted" star Mark Lundholm and his stand-up act


Dark, howlingly funny, from a guy clearly bursting with talent


Yet another update:

1. The show has been extended through 11/28/04!
2. The code 'ONLINE' will still get you $10 off per ticket for all performances except Saturday evenings.
3. You can still order either online or via the local 415 number only
4. There's a new page up at Mark Lundholm's site with links to review quotes and the schedule. it's much nice than the Marines Memorial page.


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UPDATE ON THE UPDATE: Discount is up and running.

The promo code = ONLINE

You can use it either via phone: 415-771-6900

Or online here: TicketMaster

Oh, and the show is being extended!!! I think it's a hit...and well-deserved.
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It was interesting being in Mark Lundholm's crowd last night at the San Jose City College theatre. Lots of people knew each other, and there was a lot of quality hugging going on.

Sure enough, when Lundholm came out and polled the crowd, the vast majority were fellow recovery folks.

Lundholm's act does revolve around his pre- and post-recovery life, but I think he sometimes underestimates his "normal" audience members. With or without a 12-step meeting in our past, we can relate to just about every dark bit of black humor he can toss our there. OK, well maybe it's just me. I did used to have the nickname "Black Heart" after all.

Lundholm does a couple of things about as good as I've ever seen:

1. Physical humor: By this I don't mean contorting a la Jim Carrey, but rather embodying the physicality of the character or condition he's riffing on. When he mocks what he was like when drunk or coked up...he nails it. Kind of scary, really. The "sense memories" must be pretty fresh.

2. Reacting to audience reactions and then getting back on track: at several points in the evening Lundholm seemed to go off on a tangent directly related to something emanating from the audience, riff on it for a while, then get himself back on track...seamlessly. It made the show feel, well, the opposite of "canned."

The bottom line is that the S.O. and I laughed out loud and long repeatedly. And that even if we hadn't personally been down some of the paths Lundholm, and maybe much of his audience, had...we have either been down similar trails...or know someone who has.

There is something, perhaps unfortunately, universal about struggling and failure and surviving.

Lundholm's gift is to find the humor in even the darkest moments of such lifelong cycles.

What we saw was his stand-up act, but he started a run of his slightly different one-man show "Addicted", for which I'm doing some marketing work, this weekend. According to Lundholm's manager/assistant, Roseanne, "addicted" is more of a story: of his life and how he ended up taking the paths he did. Just as funny, but more geared towards an audience of "normal" people (as he calls them) rather than the recovery crowd.

I would definitely check it out. He is a talented and damn funny performer.

You can get general info at:

The Marines Memorial Theatre web site

UPDATE ON DISCOUNT:

FYI: they're going to give me a discount to distribute. I'm just waiting for the ticketmaster.com site to be ready.

You'll be able to get $10 off every seat for every show (except Saturdays at 5PM and 9PM.)

The promo code has been changed since I originally posted. Because of some snafu it is still not up and running online. I will post when it is. And when it is, use:

The promo code = ONLINE

You can use it either via phone: 415-771-6900 or 1-877-771-6900 (Toll free)

Or via TicketMaster

Posted: Wed - November 10, 2004 at 09:42 AM       EmailFeedback

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