For most, the idea of having to do standup comedy while wearing nothing but a smile is the kind of thing one can only experience in their worst nightmares. But for Billy Procida and a lineup of comics with nothing to hide, it’s become second nature. The Naked Comedy show is exactly what it sounds like: an 80-minute long standup set in which comedians perform entirely in the nude. Though it began in NYC, Procida’s hometown, the show has since expanded to three other cities: Los Angeles, Chicago, and now Philadelphia, with trendy Callowhill speakeasy The Velvet Whip giving the show its home here in the city.
When Procida did his first naked standup set, he was still an undergrad student at NYU. “Andy Ofeish, he started [the concept of naked comedy] about 20 years ago in New England.” The comedian says. “When I was in college he would come down frequently and run a naked comedy showcase at The Peoples Improv Theater every month. I was young, and stage time was hard to come by, so I started doing naked shows.” Since Procida began running his own Naked Comedy show, success has been easy to come by. “Nearly every show (at The Velvet Whip) has been sold out or had a wait list.”
Photos by Emily Akers
June 6th brought Naked Comedy back to Philly for a special Pride Month-themed show, featuring LGBTQ+ comics and Pride-centered material. A sold-out crowd packed themselves into every corner of the lounge, ranging from returning fans eager to laugh again to virgin viewers with no idea what they were getting into. As Procida kicked off the show, he even managed to find a couple who’d chosen Naked Comedy as their first date night. The rules of the show were simple enough: no phones allowed, no harassing the comics, and be prepared for an intermezzo moment of audience participation. About halfway through the night, Procida invites any audience member who wishes to come up and tell a joke themselves on to the stage: all it costs you is your clothes. The lineup for the night brought out many of the Philly comedy scene’s funniest familiar faces, including Brianna Benozich, Alejandro Morales, and Michael Beavers.
“I was on the Facebook group for Philly comedy,” Benozich tells of how she first got involved with the show. “It immediately perked my interest, because I’ve always been kind of a thrill-seeker. I was like, ‘this is a bucket list item’.” Benozich sent in her audition tape to Procida, and the rest is history. “It felt almost like waiting in line for a rollercoaster.” She says. “I was both excited and nervous. Nervous about flopping, but also that I would get up on stage and just realize I was naked and forget all my bits. That was my big concern. But once I got on stage, it just disappeared. The audience was so engaged and active. It was a very uplifting experience.”
For Alejandro Morales, the nudity becomes a bonding experience amongst other Philly comedians. “Its’s a funny thing to be doing, and it’s the kind of experience that brings you together because the audience isn’t naked, it’s just us.” Morales got his start in Philadelphia’s alternative improv comedy, making the nudity less of a hurdle. “It almost immediately becomes like a regular standup show. You get out on stage, and you’re not really doing anything with that nudity except just standing there. If you don’t have material, if you don’t have jokes, then your set is going to go just like it would if you bombed while fully clothed. So yeah, it felt normal except that I was naked.” The comedian did, however, share some initial anxieties around what he defines as “shrinkage”. “I like the conceit of ‘I’m up here and you don’t know if I’m nervous because I’m doing such a good job delivering these jokes.’ but you can tell if you see that part of me is shrinking from this sort of attention.” Shrinkage aside, Morales thinks the community naked comedy builds is reflected in its audience. “It’s an audience of people who have a little more heart. It’s also a show with a little bit more heart, it’s special because it’s not your average stand-up comedy show. That vulnerability bolsters a real sense of belonging.”
Michael Beavers, who has done the Naked Comedy Show “eight or nine times”, the most of any comic in Philadelphia according to Procida, got his start with the show in a much different way than his thrillseeking friends. “When Billy reached out to me, it didn’t register that the ‘naked’ [in the name] was literal.” Beavers says. “I thought it was just a branding thing, like Naked Juice.” One of Beavers’ signature bits involves taking off a durag to reveal another underneath, which a friend familiar with the show pointed out would “really kill”. “I didn’t know what he meant. And then he was like, ‘No bro, you got to be full frontal.’ He explained it, and that was when I realized ‘Damn, I don’t even know what I got myself into’. Despite not knowing initially, Beavers quickly fell in love with the show. “It’s about being really transparent.” He says. “What brought me back is how warm the crowd is. Everyone’s welcoming, accepting. You get a lot of laughs, everyone kind of acknowledges how crazy the situation is. There’s a real solidarity.”
The nudity isn’t without its setbacks, however. From morality clauses at venues, to burying the show’s marketing online, The Naked Comedy Show continues to face roadblocks due to its naked nature. “People just can’t seem to uncouple nudity with sex.” Procida explained. “I don’t even post on TikTok anymore, even though what I post is fully censored, because they’ll still flag it.” Procida tells of how the show’s tickets on Eventbrite are being buried deep in the search results due to being considered adult content. “I hope it doesn’t affect business too much.” He says. “It probably means I have to spend more on advertising, which hits my bottom line. Any time I’ve been able to increase my profit margins I’ve tried to figure out how to increase the comedians’ pay. This kind of censoring, it has an effect.”
In spite of censorship, Naked Comedy continues to sell out venues in multiple cities. “I think people are fascinated by the concept, by the alleged bravery.” Procida tells. “I’m not like a first-responder, I just take my dick out on stage, I don’t see the bravery involved personally. But for a lot of people it’s unthinkable, and so they want to see that. […] 36% of customers at our April show were repeat customers. The reason people come back, I think, is really because we book great comics.”
“It’s so fun and accepting.” Benozich says of the experience. “I feel like the comedians who perform at the Naked Comedy Show just wanna have a good time and experiment in their comedy. It’s a great room to try new things, because you’re already naked on stage, so why not try a new joke you’re a little nervous about?” When asked what she hopes the Naked Comedy Show’s audience takes away from the unique evening, Benozich says “I hope they feel seen by our humor. A lot of my material is weird and personal and vulnerable. I want them to leave feeling self-confident and body positive, because it’s a vulnerable thing for us to be up there naked, but it’s vulnerable for the audience too. So, when they see me up there with my tattoos and my birthmarks and whatever, I hope they’re like ‘I love myself, I feel good about myself too.’ We should all feel good about ourselves.”
The Naked Comedy Show will be returning to The Velvet Whip on August 1. To learn more, sign up for Billy’s e-mail list or visit his Instagram.
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