Even before the company opened its Center City (Chinatown) theater in October 2016, Good Good Comedy was the leading presenter of new comedy in Philadelphia. Founded by powerhouse comedy team Kate Banford and Aaron Nevins, the company has only continued its rise to the pinnacle of local comedy, attracting local and visiting stand-up performers and hosting popular monthly game show, improv, and sketch shows. For the 2018 Fringe Festival, Good Good Comedy has taken all the best bits from the last year of its monthly show Darlings and combined them into an hilarious sketch revue. Darlings: Kill Us Please opens tonight.

Good Good Comedy Theatre.

FringeArts spoke to Banford and Nevins about the show, the theater, and appealing to audiences who don’t have rocks for brains.

FringeArts: How are things going with Good Good Comedy Theater? What’s excited you most about the space. What has been surprising?

Kate Banford & Aaron Nevins: Everything has been surprising and exciting at Good Good for us. We’re coming up on the two-year anniversary of the theater opening, and in that time, we’ve been named Best Comedy Club by Philadelphia Magazine, we’ve watched the local comedy scene AND local comedy audiences grow exponentially, and we’ve had performances from amazing people like Maria Bamford, Chris Gethard, Aparna Nancherla, Andy Kindler, Julio Torres, and so many others—people whose support of the theater has been incredible and unexpected.

FringeArts: That’s great! So what’s the story with Darlings: Kill Us Please?

Kate Banford & Aaron Nevins: Darlings: Kill Us Please is basically a hodgepodge of all the best bits from our monthly show Darlings at Good Good. It’s ostensibly a sketch show with all of our best and weirdest junk all smashed together.

Photo by Thom Lessner.

FringeArts: How would you describe the comic style?

Kate Banford & Aaron Nevins: We’d describe the comedy as funny and also make-you-laugh. There’s definitely a good amount of truly bizarre and shocking stuff in this show.

FringeArts: Who will like it?

Kate Banford & Aaron Nevins: People who don’t have rocks for brains.

FringeArts: Oh [FringeArts Blog knocks side of head and contemplates brain make-up]. What can we expect going forward from Good Good Comedy?

Kate Banford & Aaron Nevins: We have lots of exciting shows, both local and big out-of-town acts, rounding out the year. Some of our biggest stuff ever is coming up. Also our big Two-Year Anniversary show is on October 13. And as always, we’ve got our weekly show Joke Bath, which features great headliners and free beer every Friday at 10.

FringeArts: Yay! Thanks Kate and Aaron!

What: Darlings: Kill Us Please
When: September 19-22, 2018
Where: Good Good Comedy Theatre
Cost: $12
fringearts.com/event/darlings-kill-us-please