A Stand Up Guy

In his seven one-man shows that have graced the B Street Theatre stage, Jack Gallagher has explored his childhood home, fatherhood, concussions from bicycling, and his fleeting dream-come-true moment of a network sitcom. His shows are widely known and critically praised for their personal, yet comedic examination of his life. But, Jack has never delved into the career that gave him the chops to deliver these one-man shows: stand-up comedy. Until now!

A Stand-Up Guy is Jack (with writing help from son Declan Gallagher) telling his entertainment origin story, from open mics at The Improv in Los Angeles to his first Late Night with Johnny Carson appearance. In the 1980s The Improv was a club that made careers. Gallagher would be vying for stage time with future greats like Jay Leno, Dennis Miller, Dana Carvey, Kevin Nealon, Adam Sandler, and occasionally Jerry Seinfeld. David Letterman once drew the analogy that if you got The Tonight Show it meant you could hit the curveball. It took him five auditions, but Gallagher’s big break came in November of 1985 when Carson announced his name.