DLG291 A deep dive with Christian Finnegan creatively unpacking his original comedy special.

Published: March 29, 2022, 5:36 p.m.

I was taken by Christian FInnegan's comedy special, SHOW YOUR WORK which he made during the pandemic, because I felt he really found a way to open himself up and share his experience in such an original, hilarious, moving way. I have seen a bunch of comedy specials made during the pandemic when comics couldn't tour, but none hit the level of truth that Christian was able to access and share. This is a special built to last. Show Your Work is a standup special about playing the hand you’re dealt. Filmed in a tiny backyard at the height of the pandemic, Christian Finnegan brings his brand of hilarious and insightful ‘social autopsy’ to topics that range from the dumb (pharmaceutical names, baguettes) to the super dumb (QAnon). More than that, Show Your Work celebrates the determination to keep moving forward when the world has gone haywire. Onward! Christian was just as open in this Dr. Lisa session about the feelings, logistics and creative process behind the making of this special and how it came into being. Christian has a long list of comedy credentials and other strictly standup specials, so this is a great roadmap of how he made such hilarious standup work in such an entertaining, yet authentic, genuine way.  Brilliantly directed and edited by director Victor Varnado and editor, Steven Rosenfeld. And Christian's wife, Kambri Crews is the owner of QED, where the special is filmed, as well as a contributor to the project in a myriad of ways—some of which are covered in this talk.