Laughter echoed off the walls of the James Theater Friday night as audiences flocked to see the spectacle that is Stamptown.
Filled with comedic moments and colorful characters, Stamptown mixes several mediums of entertainment together to create a unique show, meant to make an impression on all those who see it over its two-night run as part of Hancher Auditorium’s Infinite Dream festival.
Charged and engaging, several of the acts and jokes in Stamptown held relevance to the modern day, while others were simply there to provide enjoyment to the audience.
The concept of the show first began developing in Los Angeles when host and popular comedian Jack Tucker was 18 years old.
“I moved to Los Angeles to be a star, obviously, with the blind confidence and delusion that only a male in this beautiful world can have — having zero performance experience whatsoever,” Tucker said. “I was lucky enough that my parents, while they were not happy that I was doing this, they supported it enough to be like, ‘Hey, give it a go.’”
Eventually, after working his way through various improv theaters and production companies, Tucker took a clown class that changed his life forever.
“I ended up studying at this clown school and joining the international traveling modern day circus on the fringe scene. And then, even on [the circuses] art scene, which accepts all these people, people were saying to us, ‘What you guys are doing is in comedy and it’s not going to work,’” Tucker said.
And thus, Stamptown was born.
Tucker performs in Stamptown as his alter ego and “clown with a reputation” Zach Zucker. He goes on to introduce all the different acts, as well as perform various bits of stand-up comedy himself.
One of his most popular gags was when he would call the stage crew to fix some mechanical or electrical problem and they would send in a bearded, hammer-wielding man who would simply hit a beer can with his hammer and drink it before leaving the stage. Somehow, this magically fixed everything and also drew several loud laughs from the gathered crowd.
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In addition to Tucker’s comedy routines, there were also appearances from eccentric roller-skating dancers, sexy robots, and a mock-Daily Iowan reporter, among others.
The show also had bits of audience participation scattered throughout, whenever one of the performers would call out or call forward those brave enough to sit in the front row.
“I can’t believe that I almost didn’t go to this,” audience member Jessie Kramer said. “I was screaming-laughing the whole time, but my favorite part was at the beginning with the guy roller skating. Even though so much of the show was politically heavy, that part was pure joy.”
Emma Dowding, a fourth-year student at the University of Iowa, also enjoyed the show. Specifically, she loved the interactions between the ensemble and audience and pointed out that the cast has a talent for thinking on their feet.
Dowding, a theater student, first heard about the show from one of her classes. The class was scheduled to meet with the members of Stamptown on Saturday to talk with them about performing in comedy.
“I was really excited and wanted to see the show before talking to them,” Dowding said. “And I loved it, I thought it was a wonderful and very entertaining show.”