Stand-up comics invade Villa, Sleeping Buffalo next weekend

Montarctica Productions is looking to once again tickle funny bones across Phillips County next week with two night's of stand up comedy in two locations with four comics gracing the stage on Thursday and Friday, May 25 and 26.

Montarctica Productions owner Travis Rhoads is once again bringing live stand-up comedy to the area as this will be the fifth show the company has brought to Phillips County in the past three years. Taking the stage each night will be co-headliners Adam Hunter and Sean McBride as well as Montana's Donovan "Beef" Archambault and Tamara Boggio Upton. The first show will be held on Thursday, May 25 at the Villa Theatre which has been home to the first four stand-up shows hosted by Montarctica Productions. The following night, Friday, May 26, the comics will play at the Buffalo Barn at the Sleeping Buffalo.

"The Villa is always a good setting and the comics always really enjoy performing there," Rhoads said. "Being that it is Memorial Day weekend, we decided to try and give them a show out where they might be taking in their weekend activates."

Tickets for the shows - which are for ages 18- and over - are $20 at the door or through the Montarctica Productions' Facebook site.

A New York City Native, Hunter is one of the hottest young comics around. He was a finalist in season 6 of Last Comic Standing, was the last stand-up to perform on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and has appeared on Chelsea Lately, The Late Late Show, MTV, VH1, TruTV, CBS, Comedy Central, The Real Husband's of Hollywood and Nickelodeon's See Dad Run.

"Adam's travelled the world and we are lucky to have him coming to Phillips County," Rhoads said.

McBride is making his second trip to Phillips County as he headlined a show for Montarctica Productions in November of 2014. He told the PCN that Montana is hands down one of his favorite states and Rhoads said the comic is exited to be coming back to Phillips County.

"Shawn is coming to Montana for these two shows, and these two shows only," Rhoads said. "People are not going to want to miss this show. This is his second time here, but he has all new material and is looking forward to showing it off."

McBride currently resides in Venice Beach, Calif., but was born in the mid west and raised on the east coast. He has appeared numerous times on the NFL Network and Hulu's Comedy Time and had a breakout performance in the film, National Lampoon's Dirty Jokes: The Movie, starring The Unknown Comic Murray Langston.

One of the two opening acts for the two nights of comedy has a connection to Phillips County, as Archambault - who is originally from Fort Belknap, Mont. - has been an opening act for previous Montarctica Productions' shows and in July of last year took first place in the KMMR's Talent Show at the Milk River Pavilion.

"Anytime I make someone laugh I get this cool feeling inside like I just dunked (a basketball) or something," said Archambault. "I didn't realize you could make a profession out of it until I was much older."

Rhoads said that Archambault is one of the funniest local comics to come out of Montana and he expects Archambault comedy with lots of local flavor.

"Donovan always has a chance to steal the show from the bigger-named comics," Rhoads said. "He's from the Hi-Line and he is not afraid to make fun of it."

Tamara Boggio Upton hails from Red Lodge, Mont., is the lone female on the bill and the first female comic to play in Phillips County with Montarctica Productions.

"You have two nights to come out and support live comedy in Phillips County," Rhoads said. "It's not very often that we get a chance to see comics of this caliber on local stages so I hope everyone comes out to have a good time."