Clean comedy coming to Riverdale K Grill House

There’s a new comedian in town, Shaun Eli, and he will be performing at Riverdale K Grill House on Wednesday, March 16 along with other comedic notables. The restaurant is bringing light entertainment to Riverdale, with more “Liberty Comedy” shows scheduled for the future.

What makes Mr. Eli different from your average comic is that he’s mentally clean. His jokes — many about his life and family — have audiences howling, despite the absence of bad language or vulgar content.   

While a comic’s life and family may seem conventional grist for the comic mill, Mr. Eli takes audiences on a tour of familiar ground they somehow haven’t seen. Considered one of America’s smartest comics, Mr. Eli builds his one-liners into routines that make people think about subjects important to them — while they laugh. 

Here’s a joke by Mr. Eli about the cost of living in New York City: “The wine bar was full, so I took my date to the Goodwill store. For the price of two glasses of wine and a cheese plate, I bought her a sofa, two coffee tables and the Encyclopedia Britannica.”

And a joke about aging: “Archeologists are saying Buddha was born centuries earlier than previously thought. What’s the world coming to, when even the Enlightened One has been lying about his age?”

Being clean gives Mr. Eli broad appeal. Corporations hire him for their events. He performs at houses of worship, senior centers and non-profit organizations. 

Lest you think “clean” means “boring,” here’s what U.S. Army Colonel Jiyul Kim told Mr. Eli after seeing him perform:  “People who’ve made a career out of slogging through mud while under fire… marveled at your friendly and professional ability to rock.”

It doesn’t hurt that Mr. Eli has an open, honest face. While he sports no tie, his crisp dress shirts make him seem different from comics in casual clothing. A former banker, Mr. Eli was on a date when his companion told him how much his funniness impressed her and suggested that he enroll in a comedy class.

“It took six years before I got to where I saw I could make a living at it and escape from banking,” Mr. Eli said.

Four months after his first performance, he wowed members of the Scuba Sports Club, whose president said, “Even our fittest divers were laughing so hard they could barely catch their breath.”

Looking back, Mr. Eli says he made the right decision: “I live a happier, more relaxed life. I’m in the happiness business. What could be better than that?”

Mr. Eli’s website, www.BrainChampagne.com, was ranked the top New York City stand-up comedian website by Google, AOL and Yahoo for two years. He was also a frequent guest on the Joey Reynolds Show, a WOR 710AM station syndicated to hundreds of radio stations across the US. 

The March 16 bill at Riverdale K Grill House also includes Wali Collins from the “Late Show with David Letterman,” HBO and Comedy Central; and Jon Fisch from “Letterman” and Comedy Central.