In 2020, comedian Colin Quinn released his book Overstated: A Coast-to-Coast Roast of the Fifty States. When asked about Colorado, it should come to no surprise that the comedian has his opinion.
“Colorado is basically a state that decided to do what Switzerland did. Everybody else just looked at the mountains and thought ‘oh what a pain in the ass.’ Colorado was like ‘no, let’s make this into a business.’ Basically you are like the hip state. You guys are the only exciting – well, not that you guys are exciting – but you’re exciting compared to who’s around you.” he joked.
Quinn will be making his way to Colorado and into the Mile High City May 31 to June 2 for his newest one-man show The Last Best Hope at Comedy Works Downtown.
Though he has been involved in pretty much everything comedy-related over the last few decades, Quinn first rose to fame for his time on Saturday Night Live. Host of the beloved “Weekend Update” segment, this role gave the comedian his first taste of political and social commentary-style comedy, serving as the perfect introduction for the career ahead.
Quinn is known for his unique, and often blunt, takes on the world around us. Taking inspiration from George Carlin and Richard Pryor, his comedy focuses not only on current issues but the history of how we got here.
“It has to be more than just the topical, political times,” said Quinn. “I like historical stuff, the kind of stuff that is more eternal rather than topical. The stuff that makes you go ‘oh yeah, I guess it’s always been like this.'”
Quinn debuted his one-man show The New York Story in 2015, at the Cherry Lane Theater. Born and raised in the city, Quinn brought the stories of his childhood to the stage, recalling the people and places that shaped the city.
“It was gone, it was a lost world, the one I grew up in. It was kind of like, “I can’t believe it’s not like this anymore.’ I just wanted to go back and remember what I used to love as a kid. It was also a lost time when you could talk about everyone’s ethnicities and how it was distinctive. It was celebrating this sort of lost society,” said Quinn.
In addition to The New York Story, Quinn has performed a number of hit one-man shows both on and off broadway. Following suit of his niche comedy style, shows such as Red State Blue State, Unconstitutional and 2019’s Long Story Short were beloved by critics and fans alike.
His newest work, The Last Best Hope, will be no exception. The show takes inspiration from the events of the last two years — finding some much-needed comedic relief within it all.
“It’s basically about how we live in two cults right now. It’s left and right-ish. They are the dominant culture of today,” he said. “I’m the worst thing you can be right now: a both-sider. The dominant culture is crazy right now, that’s who gets to speak, and that’s who sets tones. So I make fun of that insanity.”
Coming straight off a sold-out run at New York City’s The Lucille Lortel Theatre, Quinn is taking the show on the road and straight to Comedy Works Downtown next week. Like many comedians who come through the Mile High, Quinn is eager to perform at the notorious club.
“A place like Comedy Works, that to me is ideal comedy. It’s a tightly knit room where everybody’s laughter just bounces off the walls. When it goes well, there’s nothing quite like that energy… Every comedian knows that in those little rooms, when you kill, there’s absolutely nothing like it.”
Colin Quinn will be performing The Last Best Hope at Comedy Works Downtown May 31-June 2. Find more information here.