Imagine working a Rubik’s cube. You see the colored squares pass each other again and again as they make their way to the solution, smooth and tight in a satisfying conclusion.
Any Robert Mac set is a lot like that. In the end, we realize how it all comes together, with every move a smart one and not a piece out of place. The most fun of all is that we never see it coming.
“I try to make jokes easy for people to figure out,” Mac said. And they are, albeit unpredictable and often involving hilarious callbacks. “When I started, the people I watched wrote jokes, and the jokes connected to each other.”
When Mac started, he was living in Tucson, where he was raised, and attending the UA. A friend took him along to an open mic at Laff’s Comedy Caffe. Mac had written a couple of jokes but was too self-conscious to take the stage, so his friend got up and told the jokes. When people laughed, Mac was envious. The next week, he went up at the mic, and before long he was a regular.
Those first jokes were influenced by his long appreciation of Steve Martin’s comedy and that of Steven Wright, the first comedian he saw perform live. Like them, he works to make jokes “short, pithy and to the point” and he presents his comedy in the manner of dumb guy who thinks he’s smart.
Mac has synopsized his comedy philosophy and writing process into a humorous series of 31, 60-second tips, one for each day of National Humor Month. The collection can be found on his YouTube page under the playlist title, “April is National Humor Month.”
As an example, Mac mentioned the episode, “Keep Your Writing Lean, which he noted can apply to any type of writing. “If you’re writing an ad campaign, a movie, a joke, a book, a birthday card, you get rid of the fat.”
It’s no surprise, then, that Mac disdains the long setups common to the conversational or storytelling comedy currently in vogue. He also finds them disappointingly solipsistic. In his own material he finds ways to introduce risky topics, like race and immigration, by looking at them in an uncommon way.
“When we personally have to change how we relate to a thing it’s going to be something of interest to me,” Mac said. “I’m trying to talk about things that are important to me in a way that’s entertaining and, hopefully, informative or educational, so people can walk away learning something, but laughing at the same time.
“I think when I write jokes, I have to look for an angle that no one else is going to have,” he said. “But after doing this for a long time, your brain changes and you develop a new perspective. I’ve been writing jokes for 30 years. All comedy is about looking at things from a different point of view.”
When he’s not touring, Mac lives in the Washington, D.C., area, where his clean comedy creates opportunities for corporate work. Clients are drawn to him based on two specials he performed for Dry Bar Comedy.
Dry Bar has produced more than 300 specials featuring comedians doing clean sets. Now a popular streaming service, the project took its name from its beginnings in a Utah entertainment venue that didn’t serve liquor.
“A lot of people have seen my Dry Bar specials. I have two different (ones) and I’ve broken them into smaller clips that I post on different platforms.” Dry Bar fans are among the many that Mac converses with regularly on all the social media.
“It’s always nice when someone reaches out and says, ‘Hey, we really like your stuff. You’re funny.’ So, of course, I’m going to maintain those relationships when I have people who want to be fans.”
In 2022, Mac returned to Tucson for his third full-length special, “Mac to School.” It was produced in the theater of his alma mater, Salpointe High School. He’s looking forward to coming back for four shows at Laff’s Comedy Caffe on May 5 and May 6. “It’s great,” he said, “but it is overwhelming because I get a rush of nostalgia and emotions and literally dozens and dozens of people reach out.”
Robert Mac, Laff’s Comedy Caffe, 2900 E. Broadway Boulevard. 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Friday, May 5 and 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, May 6, laffstucson.com, $15, $20 preferred seating
“PAWS FOR LAUGHTER”
LA comedian Anthony Desamito headlines a benefit for El Jefe Cat Lounge at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, April 29, at Bumsted’s, 1003 N. Stone Avenue. Desamito was featured in the 2018 film “Out on Stage.” Rounding out the lineup are Nate Beck, Nic, Ana Montañez and Jessie Sweeney. The benefit, “Paws for Laughter,” is being produced by Priscilla Fernandez and Mo Urban, who head up the team that hosts the Lady Ha Ha open mic at Bumsted’s every Tuesday. Tickets are $10 at the door or via eventcreate.com/e/ladyhaha.
CHRIS HAUGHTON & FRIENDS
Clean comedian Chris Haughton reintroduces comedy to Hotel McCoy, 720 W. Silverlake Road, hotelmccoy.com, free, 7 p.m. Saturday, April 29. Stephanie Lyonga headlines the show, which also features Matt Ziemak, Roxy Merari and Kenny Shade. Known for its energy and passion, Haughton’s comedy is informed by his service in the Air Force at Davis Monthan AFB, and life as a family man.
MORE COMEDY THIS WEEK
Laff’s Comedy Caffe, 2900 E. Broadway Boulevard. 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Friday, April 28, and 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, April 29, laffstucson.com, $15, $20 preferred seating. Jason Russell: Expect a clean show with unforgettable character impressions.
Tucson Improv Movement/TIM Comedy Theatre, 414 E. Ninth Street, tucsonimprov.com/theater, 9 p.m. Friday, April 28, $7, New Headliner Standup Comedy Show, with headliner Rebecca Fox, Rory Monserrat, Chris Quinn and Nic.
Tucson Improv Movement/TIM Comedy Theatre, 414 E. Ninth Street, tucsonimprov.com, $7 each show, $10 for both shows, same night, free jam and open mic; 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 27, “Cage Match;” 8:30 p.m. Open Mic.; 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 28, Improv Jam; 7:30 p.m. “The Soapbox;” 9 p.m. Headliner Stand Up; 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, “Improv Throwdown;” 9 p.m. “LOL and Order.”
Unscrewed Theater, 4500 E. Speedway Boulevard, unscrewedtheatre.org, $8, live or remote, $5 kids. 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 28, Family-Friendly Improv; 7:30 p.m., Saturday, April 29, Family Friendly Improv; 9 p.m. Keep Tucson Sketchy, live sketch show with musical guests.
