Regan bringing comedy gold to IP

Brian Regan, one of the highly admired humorists among comedians, is bringing a finely polished set to the IP Casino in Biloxi at 8 p.m. Friday.

Regan is considered the gold standard by many comedians.

Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock and David Letterman are a fewwho have lauded his comedic style.

His wit is sharp, precise and always clean. In a recent email interview with the Sun Herald, Regan said the cleanliness of his humor was never a planned move.

“Working ‘clean’ was not my intention when I first started,” Regan wrote. “It isn't even my intention now. My intention is to be kind of funny. I guess the comedy is clean along the way, but the funny part is more important than the clean part.”

Those who enjoy racy comedy might find it amazing how funny Regan can be without getting dirty. His humor can be shared around the water cooler on Monday morning without fear of being sent to Human Resources.

His observations include questions such as, “If people who read are so smart, why do they have to put the title of the book at the top of every page? They don’t put the title of a movie at the top of the screen.”

He asks why there is no valet parking at the emergency room, and he does a hilarious bit on serving sizes: “I eat Fig Newtons by the sleeve. Two sleeves is a serving size.”

If that doesn’t come off as funny in print, it’s much better with Regan’s delivery — another skill he has mastered over the years. Without being over the top, he keeps things all the more interesting with his facial expressions and hand gestures.

In Regan’s youth, he was a bag boy, dishwasher, busboy, salad chef, carpet cleaner, recreation leader for teens and a security guard.

He said it was “frightening and exhilarating” when he first took to the stage in the 1980s, but he went on to make some outstanding accomplishments.

In addition to putting out CDs and giving sold-out performances, his 28 appearances on the “Late Show with David Letterman” are the most of any comic. Also, Comedy Central chose “Brian Regan: Live From Radio City Music Hall” to be the first live broadcast of a stand-up performance on the network. It will air Sept. 26.

Tickets for Regan’s show at the IP start at $45 and are available through www.ticketmaster.com.

This story was originally published June 24, 2016 at 5:56 AM with the headline "Regan bringing comedy gold to IP."