How do you get someone to enjoy a football party when they don’t know the difference between touchdowns and field goals? Or maybe they call halftime “intermission” and have, literally, no idea who the Detroit Lions quarterback is.
The answer: Entice them with the promise of laughs and alcohol. Add a celebrity or two and you’ve got the concept for “Late Night Tailgate.”
The all-new, 90-minute show directed by SNL co-head writer Bryan Tucker will stop in Flint Friday, Oct. 19 at the Capitol Theatre as part of its nine-city tour. Comedian Sarah Tiana — who will be joined by FX (The League) legend and fellow comedian Steve Rannazzisi and former NFL quarterback Sage Rosenfels — says the one guarantee is that it’s going to be fun.
“It’s a comedy tailgate,” says Tiana. “So if you were out in a parking lot tailgating and then people had microphones and were doing stand-up, and we were all drinking and playing games, that’s pretty much the show.”
“It’s hard to explain a show that’s kind of a little bit of everything…so I think people should just come and hang out,” she says. “It’s gonna be a great time.”
In addition to Tiana’s and Rannazzisi’s performances, “Late Night Tailgate” will include a panel discussion with Rosenfels, and multiple interactive elements, including trivia, where guests can win prizes, plus traditional tailgating games. Also, there will be lots to drink.
Even though she’s done all those things individually, Tiana says she has never done a show like this.
“I’m kind of excited to see where it goes,” she says. “I guarantee the show is going to be changing as we go along, just based on what we find out works and what doesn’t.”
Tiana, who currently co-hosts “Props” on Yahoo Sports, thinks the show will appeal to all ages, no matter what changes might occur. And while the show combines sports with discussion of everything from pop culture to current events, Tiana says there won’t be any intense political debates.
“It’s just going to be fun, light-hearted comedy while also making fun of each other,” she says, “probably the crowd, too.”
Even the Detroit Lions, a team Tiana is familiar with, might earn some mention. Tiana says it’s not because she roots for them (she’s an Atlanta Falcons fan) but because of Matthew Stafford.
“If you call my phone it says, ‘You’ve reached Sarah Tiana and Matthew Stafford. Please leave a message,’” Tiana laughs. “It said that for nine years, ever since he left the University of Georgia. That’s where I went to school…I’ll cheer for him the rest of his career.”
Maybe the Flint crowd can persuade her to root for the whole team, too.
To purchase tickets or for more information about “Late Night Tailgate,” which will be held at 8 p.m. a the Capitol Theatre, 140 E. 2nd St. in Flint, visit www.thewhiting.com.
Star-studded Tailgate Tour promises to leave Flint laughing added by Dana Casadei on
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