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Marian Kelly was "born in a merry
hour." Legend has it that, when Marian's father learned he
finally had a daughter, he hurried home and fed ice cream and cake to
his sevens sons until they had stomach-aches. (Years later, this story
inspired one of the boys to remark, "See, you've been making me
sick since the day you were born.") A younger brother and sister
followed, making Marian the 8th of 10 children. With a background like
that, it's easy to see where she got her sense of humor – it was
developed in self-defense!
A classic case of small-town-girl-makes-good,
Marian, in three short years, went from open-mic night to headlining
in comedy clubs and colleges nationwide. Prior to her first foray
onstage, Marian worked for seven years in a TV station in Joplin,
Missouri, directing newscasts, commercials and local programming. She
took a public-relations job in Springfield because she heard there was
comedy club there ("I thought I would get onstage once and get it
out of my system."). After only a half-dozen spots on amateur
night, a professional comedian told her, "You're going make a
living at this."
Marian's act has been described as "very
reality-based," and "a woman's perspective – without the
worn-out clichés." She combines a Midwestern sensibility with
quick-witted intelligence and the result is an articulate – and
unusually clean – comedy show. Even though she touches on some adult
topics, they are so carefully worded that, as Marian says, "I
could probably do most of my act on the Disney Channel."
Marian Kelly refers to herself as a
"late bloomer" because she never did stand-up until she was
almost 30. "I wanted to be a comic from the time I was a little
kid. Johnny Carson and George Carlin
were my heroes. But I couldn't see moving to L.A. to take a shot at
it. The comedy boom that brought clubs to smaller towns like
Springfield, Missouri, is the reason I'm doing stand-up today."
Ironically,
when she gave up a secure job to follow her dream, she met with
unqualified encouragement from her family and friends. "I
expected them to kind of shake their heads and say 'She's finally
snapped a bungee cord,' but they've all been supportive. Everyone who
knows me says I'm doing what I was meant to do."
Marian's television credits include "The
Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and
Lifetime's "Girls' Night Out." She is a contributing
writer for "The Tonight Show."
Sample material from Marian Kelly --
- ...Being from a large family:
"You can't take ten kids out in the street at the same time. They have a name for that, right? 'Unlawful assembly?'"
- ...Driving long distances:
"I didn't know I was goofy until I saw some cows grazing
in a pasture, and I heard my own voice saying, 'Gee, I wonder
what THEY'RE thinking about.'"
- ...Olympic sports:
"The biathlon is two events together - skiing and shooting. You have to give them credit - they figured out cross-country skiing is boring to watch, so they added weapons."
- ...Hot air balloons:
"You know the basket you ride in? It's a BASKET. The thing that keeps you from plummeting to your death is made of WICKER. I've got this stuff in my bathroom - it's not that sturdy."
What others say about Marian --
- Unity Temple On The Plaza, Kansas City, Missouri
"It was truly amazing how you could
get that mix of people to laugh at the same
thing without anybody feeling slighted or
taking offense." -- Duke Tufty
- 7 Strong, Joplin, Missouri
"When
you have that type of universal appeal, entertaining
everyone from the church deacon to the guy
in the Motley Crue T-shirt, you’ve accomplished
something." -- Danny Thomas, KOAM-TV,
-
YWCA of Topeka Kansas
"I
still hear rave reviews about your performance." --
Bridget Koan
- Mercy Health Center, Ft. Scott, Kansas
"If the belly laughter of nearly 400 women is any gauge of your abilities, then we hit a home run."
-- Carla Bryant Farmer
- Mercy Medical Center, Sioux City, Iowa
"Thank you very much for helping Mercy Medical Center-Sioux
City offer over 1700 women a fantastic night out!" --
Ann Boeke
- Hookup, Joplin, Missouri
"The audience held top executives as well as support staff, from a wide
range of backgrounds. I did not hear ONE negative comment about your presentation." --
Donna Roycraft
- Standup For Cerebral Palsy
"Your professional manner both on and off stage was refreshing to work with and you made my
job much, much easier." --
Aaron Gnirk, Executive Producer
Marian Kelly may be available for your next special event!
For booking information, click
HERE!
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