Alyssa Limperis: No Bad Days

Great comedy, a mature emotional processing of tragedy in a constructive way, using heartwarmingly human humor. I very much enjoyed Limperis' survivor-spirit stage presence as she took us along her journey of emotional processing.

It has been said: Comedy = Tragedy + Time And I suppose the less Time that has passed, the edgier the Traumedy.

Traumedy = Tragedy/Comedy & Trauma/Remedy

I wish I could say I was surprised at some of the whining prudes who have chimed in against these more sophisticated uses of humor-as-medicine/humor-as-healing, but alas... Simply put, it is a person with low emotional intelligence who judges Limperis' open grief process as invalid. Such a person labors under the delusion there is such a thing as an "off limits" topic for humor---one for which humor cannot morally be used for openly processing negative emotions, exploring both pain as well as joy, in the context of one's wider community of peers and fellow citizens.

In truth, there is no such thing as an "off limits" topic for harrowing humor or Divine Comedy, to help us and each other deal with the vicissitudes of life; nor for cynical sarcasm, judgmental jocularity or social satire, in order to draw attention to topics of social and political importance to us all.

***** We laugh at these things, not because they are funny but because, in laughing at them, we take away their power over us. ***** The Ancient Greeks called it exorcizing the demons of fear and shame. And perhaps you've heard the old saying, tried and true: Laughter is the best medicine.

Indeed, psychological and medical experts echo these sentiments in their analyses of the prevailing objective clinical data. And neurophysiologists tell us that laughter has a well-established causative link to a cascade of positive hormonal, musculoskeletal, nervous and neurochemical responses, such as the relaxation response and the release of dopamine, serotonin and endorphins, which act to stabilize mood, improve state of mind and restore emotional equilibrium. (Google is your friend, children. Use it.)

It is an emotionally immature prude who complains of the supposed "inappropriateness" of humor in all but a narrow set of circumstances. Humor is NEVER inappropriate in the setting in which Limperis openly shared her constellation of human experiences---experiences which clearly so many in her audience resonated strongly and positively with. As long as prudes in the room are willing to check their assumptions and their insistence upon "reading between the lines" at the door, and instead pull their heads out of their bums and take things said WITHIN CONTEXT -- you know, like adults -- then it's all good.

Pro-Tip: Take everything a comedian says, and every review you read, with a grain of salt.

Alyssa Limperis walks you through the rollercoaster of grief. You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll heal and you'll grieve. But you won't do it alone. No Bad Days perfectly encapsulates the experience of losing a loved one and learning to feel joy again.

This was a special like no other I have seen. Alyssa is more than a stand up comic and puts on more than a stand up show. You will laugh and you will cry. Can't wait to see what else we see from Alyssa in the future.

Really enjoyed this special because it was original. Full of comedy and tragedy, Alyssa channeled all of her emotions into this and you can really tell. Some great comedy bits that would fit in a normal stand up set, but also some raw emotion that weaved well with the whole show. I'd recommend this to anyone. We all experience grief and we all handle it differently. Going with Alyssa on her journey was a unique experience and I appreciated the authenticity.

When the very first thoughts out of a comedians mouths are relating to a tragedy that they've experienced, that THEY can joke about - well, I sort of find it to be self serving as if it's become thier form of therapy - but in this case,, I'it very unwelcomely reminds me of a similar situation that frankly I don't want to remember when I'm attempting to laugh and be amused by stand up - for that reason I take umbrage to this type of 'oh so raw, so real, so vulnerable' comedy - no gracias senorita - NONE AT ALL.