(Marc Maron. Photo by Mark Davis.)
"Hamilton" may be the hottest ticket in town, but don't underestimate the popularity of Marc Maron. The host of the influential "WTF" podcast and star of Netflix's "GLOW" opened the first of five shows Thursday at Acme Comedy Co. with the sold-out audience eager to see such a high-profile name in a venue that seats less than 300 patrons. Even Har Mar Superstar showed up.
"I'm trying to process a few things," said Maron as a way of explaining why he wasn't booked at a theatre. Loosely translated, that means he was testing new material, a step that's necessary for even the best of comics, but sometimes frustrating for fans.
That wasn't the case Thursday. Not all of his 90-minute set was polished, but Maron's rage -- he always seems like he's in the middle of a heated argument with an invisible nemesis -- was firing on all cylinders. In his best bits, he tore apart adult men who salivate over comic-book movies and Evangelicals waiting for the second coming of Jesus Christ (those who worship God or Iron Man may take offense).
Maron did share some memories of his early days in the Twin Cities, getting drunk in the middle of the afternoon at the Deja Vu strip club and waiting outside Acme for a drug delivery that never came. But mostly, he was looking toward the future -- and the construction of a new comedy set.
Friday and Saturday shows are sold out.
