Columbia shows famously hot – and funny – side at Third Thursday Comedy Series

If you’ve ever wondered what time travel, Bill Murray, kids and surprise movie endings have in common, consider checking out Tapp’s Arts Center on Thursday, Jan. 19 for comedian MYQ Kaplan’s standup comedy show.

Vaguely nerdy, sweetly earnest yet hysterically funny, Kaplan has appeared on “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien,” “America’s Got Talent,” “The Late Show with David Letterman” and “Late Night with Seth Meyers.” Known for his calm delivery of off-the-wall interpretations and quirky but oddly logical conclusions, Kaplan’s performances feel like a conversation with a very funny friend.

Joining Kaplan will be Columbia comics Jenn Snyder, Topher Riddle and Zack Kennedy.

Kaplan is returning to Columbia to help celebrate the two-year anniversary of Third Thursday Comedy. A collaboration between Soda City Stand Up and Tapp’s Art Center, Third Thursday Comedy has been a hit from the beginning.

“Tapp’s Arts Center was created as a creative incubator for all types of art, including the art of comedy,” said Caitlin Bright, executive director of Tapp’s Arts Center. “Working with Soda City Stand Up is helping us build a great comedy scene in Columbia.”

It seems to be working. Bright said that seats are filled most Thursdays with a good mix of regulars and visitors.

Soda City Stand Up is a troupe of Columbia-based comedians who have performed throughout the state and the country. The group holds regular performances and open mic nights and has brought comedians such as Doug Stanhope, Dave Stone, Kaplan, Shane Mauss, and three of the writers from the hit show “TOSH.0” to Columbia. The group is led by John Gibson, an Ohio native-turned-Southerner who turned a natural gift for storytelling into a career as a standup comedian.

Gibson is also pleased with the success of Third Thursdays.

“Columbia used to be a city that comics would pass by on the way to other cities, but now we’ve become a stopping point on our own,” he said. “Tapp’s happens to be a great venue for shows, and we are so excited to celebrate two years of comedy with them.”

This story was originally published January 18, 2017 at 11:05 AM with the headline "Columbia shows famously hot – and funny – side at Third Thursday Comedy Series."