HER STORY: Christine Hurley
By Patriot Ledger staff
The Patriot Ledger
Posted Mar 24, 2009 @ 04:21 PM
Christine Hurley, 44, of Plymouth is a stand-up comedian and a waitress at TGI Fridays.
PROUDEST ACCOMPLISHMENT
Being blissfully married to the one and only Jimmy Hurley for 21 years, and with him raising the five sweetest, kindest, big-hearted, grounded, beautiful kids on the planet – Colleen, Libby, Ryan, Joe and Brendan.
PERFECT DAY
No phones, no doorbells, no calendar, a perfect midsummer day on my deck with an excellent book and my iPod. Now let’s get real – perfection is this same scenario, only Jimmy and the kids are 15 miles away.
LOOKING FORWARD
I look forward to continuing my career in stand-up comedy and hitting the big time. I never take for granted how lucky I am to be able to do something I love so much. Making people laugh is unbelievably gratifying and almost spiritual.
PASS IT ON
I was raised by the two most wonderful parents on earth. They always reminded me to appreciate the things in life that I have in the here and now and not to worry or fret over what I want or wish for. Thank you mom and dad!
GateHouse News Service
Funny business in Taunton
By R. Scott Reedy
Tue Jun 19, 2007, 03:07 PM EDT
Avon -
Boston television legend Rex Trailer and Frank Santorelli from HBOs just-wrapped “The Sopranos” will join South Shore comics Annette Pollack and Matt McArthur of Braintree and “America's Funniest Mom” finalist Christine Hurley of Plymouth on Friday evening for “Comedy Night” at the Hong Kong City Restaurant and Roseland function hall in Taunton.
“This is the biggest show of the year, with the biggest names,” explained Pollack last week by telephone. “We’ve done shows in the upstairs function rooms at Roseland, but this time we’re in the ballroom. Roseland is a quite historic venue. Many years ago, people like Glenn Miller and Frank Sinatra headlined at the old Roseland.”
Pollack, a certified public accountant by day, has performed and booked comedy under her “Annette's Comedy Asylum” banner since 1993 when she began appearing regularly at Jimbo’s Steak & Fin Restaurant in Braintree.
“I would never have believed it if someone told me back then that I would still be playing Jimbo's almost 15 years after my first appearance there. My approach is to book based on what will work best for each gig," says Pollack who recently presented a night of comedy — also featuring Trailer and Santorelli — at Phillips Old Colony House in Dorchester. “In Taunton, the wonderful and wonderfully funny Harrison Stebbins will host the show for me.”
And some familiar faces will share the microphone.
“People will recognize Frank Santorelli immediately. He played the bartender at the Bada Bing on the ‘The Sopranos’ and he has done a lot of other television. We also have Rex Trailer who hosted ‘Boom Town’ on WBZ-TV in Boston for 20 years. Rex doesn’t do stand-up, but he will sing and play the guitar. Matt McArthur is a very bright young comic who, like me, is from Braintree and Christine Hurley is just hysterical. It’s going to be a great show.”
Pollack has been making audiences laugh for almost 15 years now, but there was a time when she thought a calculator, not a comedian, would be her closest colleague.
“I used to go the old Ding Ho Comedy Club in Cambridge back in the early 1980s and enjoy guys like Jimmy Tingle, Steven Wright, Steve Sweeney, and my personal favorite, Don Gavin. Back then, I had no idea that I would ever do comedy. My dad was my best friend and he made a living as a pianist for 60 years, however, and I think may have gotten the entertainment gene from him.”
Her late father may have been her inspiration, but Pollack’s mentor was another local comic.
"When I started thinking that maybe I was funny, I turned to George MacDonald, a good friend, and asked him how I could pursue a career in comedy. He suggested I take a course at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education. I took a workshop on stand-up comedy, but at first I was just terrible. If I start something, however, I stick with it, so I didn't give up. I took more classes and kept writing and editing my material. One lesson I learned early on was that people at comedy clubs have the attention span of gnats.”
With featured roles in films like “Celtic Pride” and on television shows like “Just Shoot Me,” not to mention commercials on her resume, some might suggest that Pollack leave the South Shore behind for show business. She's hearing none of it.
“I have a house and two dogs. The dogs are my life, so I wouldn't even consider going on the road full-time,” says Pollack whose comedy is based on her observations and her own life “My nephew, Jon Pollack, is a television producer in Los Angeles and has worked on shows like ‘Spin City’ ‘Joey’, and ‘Father of the Pride’, but I'm happy right where I am.”
“Comedy Night,” with Frank Santorelli, Rex Trailer, Christine Hurley, Harrison Stebbins, Matt McArthur, and Annette Pollack, is set for Friday, June 22 at Hong Kong City and Roseland function hall, 174 Broadway (Route 138) in Taunton. For tickets and information, call 508-822-2888 or 781-843-4833. Annette Pollack will next appear at Jimbo’s Steak & Fin, 405 Franklin St., Braintree on July 13. For information, visit www.myspace.com/annettepollack.
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