Photos: Bri Morrison

Everyone remembers the 70’s classic show ‘Match Game’, right? Well, it was brought back to life on Monday, January 27th, 2025 at Lost & Found in Albany, NY at 7pm. J. Connolly, a local comedian, hosted and co-produced the show. Bri Morrison, who is another local comedian and producer, was the other producer.

J. had the idea because of his love for the original show. He enlisted Bri and it was a great ‘match’, if you will. Bri has thrown many successful unique shows in the area, her most recent one was in December and it was called ‘Hand Crafted Comedy’. The night was so cool. It was full of music, comedy, and merch being sold by the comics themselves!

The dream team was able to pull off two amazing Match Game Comedy Shows. The first one was held at The Van Dyck Music Club in Schenectady, NY on 1/15/25. Local comedian and screenwriter, Padrick Smith, was the announcer for both shows and played the part well. Each show had twelve Albany comics on their panels, but they were divided into two separate groups and there were two rounds of the game. The line up of comics for each night were different. J. stated he was happy to include so many comics on these shows. As they arrived, audience members wrote their names on a piece of paper if they wanted a chance to participate. There were over 20 people in attendance. Names were then pulled out of a bucket once the show started. Participants had a chance to win cash prizes and other prizes as well. Anyone who dressed 70’s themed also had a chance to win a prize.

The first night’s panel consisted of Elizabeth Becz, Shawn Barnes, Twon Wood, Drew Moore, Ryan Shipley, Mike Bernat, Zoe Eleni, Ed Kulseng, Dee Bellinger, Blake Whitbeck, Will Johnson, and Craig Neslar.

Night two’s panel had Duncan Harris, Aaron Schwartz, Alanna Gill, Thea Rogers, David Britton, Tyler Artis, Juan Pantaleon, Jorge Diaz, Kyle Terry, Jovan Afzali, Jill Sizzle, and me, Kay Goutos.  

The venue was the perfect fit for the show. Lost & Found is an up-and-coming spot in Albany and makes you feel comfortable once you get there. After seeing framed ‘Primus’ and ‘Tedeschi Trucks Band’ posters hanging in the bar, I knew they were cool. If you know, you know! The beautiful stained glass light fixtures really tied the whole vibe together. The bartender, Joel, was super welcoming and had a nice vibe.

All in all, it was a solid run of shows. J. said he had a lot of fun producing and hosting them. He plans to pitch the idea and other ideas that are similar to other venues. Mirth Films is looking forward to seeing what he does next.

Bri just announced some upcoming shows. Be sure to check them out!

• Draw Rocks Comedy Show- February 2nd at 2pm at Stacks Espresso Bar in Troy, NY
• Women’s History Comedy Show- March 5th and March 19th at 7pm at The Van Dyck Music Hall in Schenectady, NY