Howie goes on the Record this week at Improv

Oh, if Lon Chaney Jr. were alive today and saw entertainer Scott Record this week, even he would have to admit Scott is a man of a thousand voices.

OK, so maybe not all on the same day, but still. At this point in his career, I don’t think even Scott knows for sure which voice is his. He was just up here, but since I was overseas and missed him, this is a good time to check him out before the year comes to a close. I received an e-mail from Scott this past week telling me that he has a few more voices he wants me to listen to. At first that sounded kind of creepy, but then I realized he was referring to his stage show and not just wanting me to listen to more voices coming my way.

Scott also is a singer, so many of those characters who occupy space in his head also sing. Scott is truly a versatile performer and not just your average comedian. He’s really an entertainer.

In addition to cruise ships and corporate and special events, Scott performs in theaters, so having him in our intimate cabaret setting is a real treat. I say that because he really doesn’t do the comedy club circuit, so we’re fortunate that our cabaret room falls somewhere between a club and a theater. Scott has managed to re-create that same feel with CD tracks that are not only cheaper to fly around with, but because of space limitations allows him more flexibility on the stage.

Scott’s first big break came while working at Dangerfield’s Comedy Club in New York City. Turns out the late comedic legend took a liking to Scott and asked if he wanted to tour with him. For the next three years, Dangerfield used him as his opening act, playing some of the most prestigious venues on the road. That opened more doors for him, which led to opening up for superstars that included Ann-Margaret, Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Tom Jones, Julio Iglesias, Perry Como, Tony Bennett, the Gatlin Brothers, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Huey Lewis and the News, Celine Dion, Cher and Clint Black.

Since then he’s released the album, “Record On CD,” which allowed him to “simply sing” some of his favorite songs sans the stand up. Also included are some “humorous” contributions from Scott’s act, including his signature piece “New York, New York” which he sings with “skips” in the record.

Kat delivers the ha ha

Ah, Kat Simmons. Just saying her name conjures up images of tranquility and peace. I’m kidding!

Actually I sort of chuckle every time I hear her name (or read it in print). She is funny for funny’s sake, if not anything else. I have often said on the radio that if Dick Van Dyke and Carol Burnett had a child and then divorced, leaving the child to be raised by her stepmother, Lucille Ball, the end result would be Kat Simmons. The bottom line here is that yes, Kat is a physical comedian and uses both her body and vocabulary to deliver the ha ha.

Kat was kind enough to fill in for me while I was in the Middle East, so it’ll be nice to watch her performing in the feature slot this time. She’s a veteran of the national comedy club circuit, having done this as her vocation for years. In addition to performing both as a middle and headlining act all over the country, Kat is a comedy producer as well as having produced numerous comedic productions, including just down the hill at The Carson Valley Inn for the past decade or so.

She’s also performed many times at The Improv in Southern California. She’s appeared on the Comedy Channel, Fox’s “Comedy Tonight” and “Candid Camera.”

She has opened for Tim Allen, Diane Ford and Kenny Rogers. She’s also very much in demand on the corporate circuit because she’s just so darn versatile.

I love her ability to blend real-life situations and turn them into very poignant observations on life. She is a hoot to see.