Comedy Duo Gives Show At SPAC

by Marilyn Nason, The Post-Star, September 3, 1968

Rowan and Martin’s “Comedy Concert” at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, drawing 7,000 Saturday night and 4,000 Sunday afternoon, brought the first risque material to the amphitheatre in its three-year history.

Similar to the nightclub routines the famed pair have done over the years, the show bore little resemblance to their highly successful TV series, “Laugh-In,” and has to be classified as “blue” for much of the performance.

They started the show off with some Democratic Convention jokes including a suggestion that Chicago’s Mayor Daley sing “My Kind of Town,” then commented on the beauty of Saratoga and SPAC.

From there, they turned to several routines, one providing Dick Martin with the opportunity to play a drunken heckler at a nightclub debut of Dan Rowan as Richard Burton. Although definitely an adult skit, it showed Martin to be excellent in the characterization with an uncanny sense of timing.

They were backed by a 13-piece orchestra, which had little to do save “pipe” the entertainers on/offstage.

The best part of the program was by far the Irish Rovers, who offered some delightful tunes. These included their best-selling record, “The Unicorn” and let’s hope they are returned to the SPAC stage another year.

Also on the bill were Irwin C. Watson, quite a good stand-up comedian, whose material, fortunately, was suitable for the all-family audience attending, and David Madden, another comedian.

One must feel sorry for the parents with several children who made up a large part of Saturday night’s audience. Assuming the show would be like the Rowan/Martin television show, they had undoubtedly looked forward to a fine performance for their youngsters. But the material was definitely of the nightclub adult audience variety, although the two comedians acknowledged the presence of the young people on several occasions.