’Til death do us part. Or at least until we meet in the annual Comedy Central Laugh Riots competition. That’s the situation husband-and-wife comedians DJ Hazard and Kyria Abrahams will find themselves in this Wednesday at the Comedy Connection. Each has made it to the Boston semifinal round of the nationally recognized stand-up comedy contest, whose grand prize include cash, a new car, and, even better, a spot on Premium Blend, Comedy Central’s televised stand-up comedy showcase. The competition, as you might expect, is always fierce. This is the first time, though, that the Laugh Riots have threatened to turn into a domestic dispute.
DJ Hazard is a Boston comedy veteran who got his start at the Ding Ho club, which has also spawned Denis Leary, Lenny Clarke, and Steven Wright. Last month he was invited to PS-NBC, the venue where the Peacock Network looks at new talent. The up-and-coming Abrahams is a member of the comedy troupe Piston Honda, which performs every Friday night at the Comedy Studio in Harvard Square. Comedy Central seems to think she’s talented too; this is the second year in a row she’s made the Boston semifinal round of the Laugh Riots.
The trash talking has already begun. As they settled into bed the night they found out they would be competing against each other, Hazard looked over at Abrahams and said, "Congratulations, honey. I will crush you." Yet onset of a little workplace rivalry doesn’t seem to have fazed these two. "We’re such big fans of each other," Hazard explains. "Fortunately, we’re both bipolar so we can be competitors and fans at the same time."
Abrahams adds, "I’m really rooting for him, and he’s probably rooting for me."
"I was scared to death of her for quite some time," Hazard explains. "I thought, ‘I’m in way over my head with this gal.’ She tells everyone I’m a genius, but she knows I’m a dork."
"DJ’s pretty weird," Abrahams agrees. "If he relates to me, I must be too."
"I like to sing in the shower," says Hazard. "I remember her surprise the first time she heard me singing, ‘Kill everybody, everybody must die.’ Now it’s our car song."
Of course, there are eight other hungry comics who also want to go on to the final: Ben Boime, Alana Devich, Mike Dorval, Tim Howell, Al Klemick, E.J. Murphy, James Patterson, and Chris Walsh. "I would be happy to just place in this thing," Hazard says. "Look at the field we’re competing in. I’m going to take vitamins." Abrahams adds, "I would really, really love to win. It would make me really, really happy. And I would also be happy for DJ, although not as happy as I would be for myself. I can’t lie."
The Boston semifinal of Comedy Central’s Laugh Riots competition will be held this Wednesday, June 5, at the Comedy Connection at Faneuil Hall. Call (617) 248-9700.
