Their audience, mostly local friends and fans, merged with a gathering of colorful Disney characters.
The nightclub scheduled another event, “Queer Cabaret: Disney Edition,” for the same night.
Britton said he was nervous when he took up comedy.
But that nervousness pervades his comedy in a way that makes it recognizable Britton said.
When he mentioned his merchandise, which was sold at the door, he didn’t hesitate to inform the audience he did not care in what bodily orifice they saw fit to stick it.
“It’s your choice to make as a consumer,” he told the audience in the midst of one-liners that played on the marketing of items such as butt plugs with whistles.
This new confident composure changed a couple aspects of Britton’s performance, he said.
About 1 1/2 years ago, he stood on stage in Cincinnati and outlined three types of criminal activity in a bit that can be viewed on his website, davidbrittoncomedy.com.
He classified these activities as violent, non-violent and crimes against humanity in a monotone voice along with awkward limb movements.
The deliberately nervous manner of his performance was heightened by his actual feelings, he said.
“That’s a weird bit,” Britton said. “I was already nervous. So I just overplayed it.”
The theme, which Britton said mimicked 1950’s educational programming, combined with Britton’s wit, made a performance that the audience cheered.
However, as Britton and his colleagues recognized an apparent change in his performance, he learned ways to adapt.
Leslie Dinsmore, IU alumna and a captain of Rocketship Comedy in Indianapolis, said Britton’s performance has a way of pulling the audience along with it. She performed as a special guest along the Comedians of the Galaxy tour for more than half of its eight tour stops.
For Dinsmore, Britton’s style pulled the audience along effectively.
“It’s playful, absurd, and I’ve never disagreed with a thing he said,” Dinsmore said.
On an episode of the “Bob & Tom Show” from Jan. 20, 2014, a joke Britton made about the sexual preferences of Kristi Lee, news director of the show, almost landed him in some trouble, he said.
However, as improvisation allowed, Britton saved himself with a joke that fell under a list of conspiracy theories he used as one-liners.
The joke, which stated that people who taught gorillas sign language left out certain concepts such as “freedom,” regained the cast’s tastes for the comedian’s quick wit.
Absurd comedy affected Britton’s performance early on, he said.
He co-hosted a podcast with friend Bob Nugent named “History Bluffs,” where dead celebrities’ lives and opinions were reenacted for the sake of humor.
Britton said his first performance on the podcast was of a personal inspiration: Groucho Marx. His girlfriend joined him and played the role of Margaret Dumont, an actress who was often the target of Groucho’s remarks.
As a comedian who performed on several different mediums such as live stand-up, podcasts and radio shows, Britton worked his way from Rhino’s Youth Center to the Comedy Attic.
The Comedians of the Galaxy tour featured local inspirations and colleagues of Britton, including Mat-Alano Martin, co-founder of the Limestone Comedy Festival. Another fellow comedian who toured the road was Jonas Schrodt.
Britton won the 2014 and 2015 Funniest Person in Bloomington award.
He was also a finalist for the 2014 and 2015 Funniest Person in Cincinnati contests.
Britton will perform in the Crossroads Comedy Contest in Indianapolis from Oct. 14 through 18.
“I want to make people laugh for 45 minutes,” Britton said. “That’s my goal.”
