Steve Byrne returning 'home' for Cleveland comedy shows

Comedian Steve Byrne hasn't lived in Northeast Ohio for nearly a quarter of a century, but the funnyman can't help but feel like he's coming home whenever he brings his hilarious brand of stand-up comedy to Cleveland. That's exactly what's happening this weekend, when Byrne will appear through Saturday at the Hilarities 4th Street Theatre. The 1997 Kent State University graduate, who created and starred in his first sitcom, TBS' "Sullivan & Son," also is busy promoting his latest writing project, "The Opening Act." The comedy movie marks Byrne's directorial debut and stars Jimmy O. Yang, Alex Moffat, Cedric the Entertainer, Neal Brennan, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Jermaine Fowler, Ken Jeong, Russell Peters and Debby Ryan. It is in theaters and available on-demand through Amazon Prime Video. The Chronicle-Telegram talked to Byrne about his new flick, the person responsible for the pandemic, and why shots of Jameson await folks who dress up for his Halloween evening Hilarities show. Steve, congrats on "Opening Act." How long has the film been on your radar? After "Sullivan and Son" got canceled, it was like the only reason I get work is if I write it for myself. I thought the one thing I want to see is a great film that's just focused on stand-up comedy. That was the goal, just write about what I know. Everybody has been to a comedy club, but you never have been on the road. I wanted the audience to be privy to the inside baseball of it all, but also privy to the fact that failure — nine of out 10 jokes for a stand-up comedian don't work — is symbiotic with stand-up comedy. Also, everything in the movie happened to me. How did the pandemic affect "The Opening Act?" It was already done before the (expletive) hit the fan. We were going to premiere at a comedy festival and a film festival. We were going to do all of the red carpets, everything. It was funny, I told my wife I'm going to get a tuxedo and she was going to get a dress for us to wear at the film premiere. Then on Oct. 16, I walked to the closet, pulled them both out and said we're going to wear these in the living room tonight when the film premieres. That's kind of what happened. In the end, we still had a film come out during quarantine. We thought instead of holding onto it, let's get it out there. People can use a laugh these days. What's the reaction been so far to the movie? It's exceeded my expectations. To have 83 percent fresh from critics and 91 percent fresh from audiences, it's beyond anything I ever thought. How was life for you during the stay-at-home spring? My daughter is at the age where she's emotional when I leave. After four months of being stuck at home, I turned to her and said what water fountain did you chuck a quarter into and wish for your daddy to be home, because you caused a global pandemic, food shortages, a recession and racial tensions that are at an all-time high. So if you're really upset about the situation, blame my daughter. It's all her fault. What's it been like since you returned to live performances this summer? It's good. You're seeing people elated to be out. The jokes hit a little harder. The excitement is a little more there, even though the rooms are normally at half capacity because of COVID restrictions. You see some joy and hear the joy in people's laughter when they get to finally go out and get some release. Fortunately for a lot of comics, we're just being the conduit to some levity. How excited are you to return to Hilarities? I'm not saying this because I'm working there, I'm saying this because it's the truth — Hilarities is probably in the top five comedy clubs in the country. Not only how the staff treats you, but the fact I get to go to Slyman's right after doing local radio. The showroom has great acoustics. I really love it in there. Every comic says they love that room. So what will a Steve Byrne comedy set during a pandemic cover? Look, given the fact that there is a cornucopia of talking points to go through — from the upcoming election to politics to racial tensions — it's definitely ripe territory for comics, especially like myself who just doesn't give a (expletive). I'll talk about anything. I love trying to put myself in an uncomfortable situation and find my way out of it. I come from a centrist viewpoint. I don't have the emotional ties to the left or the right, so I really do poke fun at both sides. That's something that audiences really respond to. Finally, should the audience dress up for Halloween? The audience should definitely dress up. We'll probably have a best audience member costume contest. Whoever wins I'll do a shot of Jameson with, and whoever loses I'll do two shots of Jameson with. Contact John Benson at Ndiffrence@att.net.