Moontower Review: Rachel Feinstein

Comedian Rachel Feinstein kicked off Moontower with a night of nostalgia. She performed impressions of her grandmother (offering a handy) and recalled fond memories of middle-school sleepovers (at which she humped a girl, repeatedly). It was a perfect (amount of dick jokes for a) Wednesday night.

Last night, local comedian Abby Rosenquist hosted this year’s first Moontower Comedy & Oddity Festival performance at Cap City Comedy Club, with guest Doug Mellard (of Last Comic Standing and the Funniest Person in Austin Contest winner in 2006) and headliner Rachel Feinstein (of Inside Amy Schumer, Last Comic Standing, and Comedy Central Presents.) In addition to hosting this show, Rosenquist recently performed at the twice-monthly show Jazz Cigarette at Spider House Ballroom, and she co-hosts a monthly show, The Damn, Dirty, Filthy Show!, with fellow comedian Martin Urbano at Nasty’s bar, off Guadalupe.

Rosenquist started the show on a positive note: with an update on her current relationship. “We’re at that stage where we finish each other’s sentences,” said Rosenquist. She offered an example: “He says, ‘Abby, we should see other people.’ Then I say, ‘Just kidding!’” Admittedly, it got a little dark from there. As it turns out, a member of her rugby team is expecting. “It’s scary to find out a girl on your rugby team is pregnant, because it means we’re not tackling hard enough at practice,” said Rosenquist. Probably concerned with her own status, she added: “Step it up, ladies!”

Feinstein’s set matched Rosenquist’s in content and overall tone. But they diverged in style. Rosenquist’s shorter, punchier jokes and anecdotes complemented Feinstein’s longer, character-driven bits nicely – producing a cohesive and very funny show. By the time Mellard left the stage, the crowd was well-primed and full of fans. Feinstein killed it with a set that showcased her talent as both a stand-up and as an actress.

With voice credits that include characters on nerdom’s beloved animated series Venture Bros. and in the game Grand Theft Auto V, it’s no surprise that Feinstein is good at impressions. What does surprise: her seamless transitions between her onstage persona and her other characters. At one point, she seemed to simultaneously impersonate her mother and describe her mother’s angular Star Trek hair that looks “cut by a computer.” She carried this style throughout the show, sharing stories from her childhood and reenacting bad bar pick-up lines. Toward the end of her set, she opened up about a fear she has: that, out of dating exhaustion, she’ll settle for a subpar husband, whom she calls “Richard.” He’s a “soft-bearded theatre teacher” who wears a “PBS turtleneck” and “has a child-bearing body,” she said. On the one hand, he provides stability. On the other: “He’ll interrupt sex to ‘touch base’ with me,” said Feinstein. “His idea of talking dirty will be to say, ‘Shhhh you’re safe. You’re safe.'”

If you missed Feinstein last night, you can still catch her at at Cap City through Saturday , including tonight at 8pm. And you can catch Mellard tonight at the Unhinged Show with Eddie Pepitone at the Parish at 10:15. For more information, visit www.moontowercomedyfestival.com.