The “Show Me Your Bits” standup comedy show runs every third Friday of the Month at the Arts at The Armory. — Photos courtesy of Julian Gabelus (Instagram @lyfpresents)

By Jeffrey Shwom

This is the one of three articles in a series titled, “Laughing around town: Somerville’s comedy scene”

 Every third Friday of the month, at The Center for the Arts at the Armory, Jonathan Anderson and his hot, funny friends perform Show Me Your Bits. It is a distinct, interactive comedy show that intertwines individual performance with crowd work and audience participation.

Jonathan, creator of the show, explained, “our mission statement is to be a place where you can do weirder stuff and not just fit a mold.” Here’s how it works: Jonathan kicks it off with stand-up, and then folks from the Boston area do stand-up, improv or a sketch character. “Maybe three stand-ups and a bit. The premise is that after the set is done, I go on stage and ask the comedians questions about their bits. The audience can ask us questions too. It’s a challenge for me! Not forcing others to dish it all out.”

Amy Clare Parker, a fellow performer at Union Comedy and Improv Asylum, told us, “Jonathan is creating opportunities for comedians in Somerville, and his show … is now a staple in the community. The best shows right now are those that are doing something extra – bridging the standup and improv communities, providing monthly stage time for new voices, and using a silly yet very engaging format.”

The interactive Q&A portion makes every show different and unexpected. Jonathan retells, “I gave an audience member my set list, usually a couple … in the front row. They pick the jokes I do. And then folks can ask follow up questions during this segment before we get into the rest of the shows.” The full run time is usually between 75 to 90 minutes.

The question-and-answer session tends to have the most laughs. Jonathan shared, “it gets people into an improv comedy space. The questions are worded funny or are deep and that leads to stuff. One time, a comedian alluded to being a Mormon, but not anymore. So, the Q and A was about Mormonism and whether they still believed in God.”

Amy Clare Parker exudes, “It feels like a twist on a late-night show like Conan (O’Brien’s) was – the standup segments, but also the ridiculous character bits that his writers would do, so it’s a unique, live variety show.”

Jonathan hopes that, religion aside, the performers get new material or take a different angle. “Sometimes, when we get into the questions, it is when someone asks one that can lead into crowd work,” a benefit of the show that gets the audience to “know this comedian.’ Jonathan feels like, “I know the audience better, individually and as a crowd.”

Jonathan moved to Boston to do standup originally. “I was doing open mics for a while and by happenstance, I got invited to what I thought was an improv show but was an improv jam. I did better than I had between doing at open mics.

Though now on a cast at Union Comedy and is an understudy for The NXT Show (which has Atomic Comedy host Addy Gover) at Improv Asylum, his personal journey brought him to develop this show on his own. “I tried to get on the NXT cast (at Improv Asylum) a year before and I had gotten rejected. I figured I should get back into standup. I booked a spot for Show Me Your Bits. I figured if I had that goal in mind, I would dedicate myself to it.”

Show Me Your Bits, unlike other more traditional Boston comedy shows that may have, say, “15 white dudes in a row doing the same bit,” intentionally has a mixed gender show, Jonathan relayed. “It is three or four dudes (and) three or four girls. We always try to keep it balanced.”

In terms of the space, Jonathan is a fan of the Arts at The Armory. “They let people do what they want. We have done some weird stuff. Someone carved a pumpkin on stage. Someone ate soil. They have been very supportive. I would hate to see new management. The Arts at The Armory is a place where unique people can stand out.”