Cenac to perform at Comedy Attic

Comedy Attic owner Jared Thompson said Wyatt Cenac represents a new kind of comedy that is hard to describe.

It is one that has gained popularity since the presence of comedic legends like Louis C.K., whose ambiguous style was considered “weird,” he said.

It is no longer possible to group comedic acts like Cenac into categories like “buttery” or “one-liners,” he said.

“This isn’t the 1970s,” Thompson said. “Whether they realize it or not, the game changed so much that people are not able to have just one note like maybe they used to.”

Cenac is scheduled to perform stand-up at 8 p.m. today at the Comedy Attic alongside local comedian Ben Moore. Brad Wilhelm will play host.

Cenac said he gets inspiration for his jokes from things that stay in his head and won’t leave. 

“When some experience or idea knocks around in there long enough it’s usually a sign that I should say something about it,” he said.

Thompson said he and his wife, who co-owns the Comedy Attic, have been fans of Cenac for a long time.

Since the comedian appeared on “the Daily Show with Jon Stewart” on Comedy Central and used to write for “King of the Hill,” booking Cenac was a no-brainer, he said.

“When you get someone as special as Wyatt it’s not a matter of would we book him, it’s what would we have to do to be able to,” Thompson said. “For him to actually be out on a weekend is actually extremely rare.”

Although Cenac now has a successful comedy career, audiences weren’t laughing when he first started stand up in college.

“The first time I did stand up in a club, I was so terrified that I did what was supposed to be a three minute set in one minute,” he said. “I got offstage and then didn’t do stand up again for a few years.”

He eventually became better after watching and learning from people like Colin Quinn, Sarah Silverman, Chris Rock and Marc Maron. 

In attempting to describe Cenac’s humor, Thompson said it is conversational with a sarcastic tone.

“There’s certainly a dry humor, but it’s beautiful,” Thompson said.

Thompson said host Wilhelm was a comedy institution himself.

“I’m just a natural ham,” said Wilhelm, who has been presenting comedy shows around Bloomington since 1997.

He said playing host to a comedy show is an act in itself.

“Really, the host sets the table, and makes it a place where the real comedians can perform so the audience is primed for their performance,” said Wilhelm.

A fan of Cenac, Wilhelm said he is excited to be the host.

Thompson said the Comedy Attic has gotten some press from the modern kinds of acts they book.

Last week, the Comedy Attic was named one of the top 10 stand-up comedy clubs in the U.S. Travel and Leisure online magazine.

Thompson said their rankings came about because they pay attention to what’s happening now and book hot acts like Cenac, while older, more established clubs stick with traditional comedy styles.

“We’re not reinventing ourselves, we’re inventing ourselves, because we’re only five years old,” Thompson said. “We have had the great opportunity to paint our own canvas rather than paint the same thing over and over again.”

Follow reporter Sarah Zinn on Twitter @sarah_zinn.