Review: A FERTLE HOLIDAY at The Joint Theater

It’s Christmas time at the Joint Comedy Theatre, 301 Main Street, in North Little Rock, and the Main Thing Comedy Trio has gathered the whole Fertle family for the holiday season. My favorite comedians Steve Farrell, Vicki Farrell, and Brett Ihler will bring this hilarious family to life every Friday and Saturday now through Christmas eve, where they will have a major party complete with catering, champagne, and music to ring in the new year.  

To the delight of mom (Vicki) and pop (Steve) Fertle, everyone will be home in Dumpster, Arkansas for Christmas. Carol (Vicki), Roger (Brett), and son Curtis (Steve) charter a plane into Dumpster from San Diego. They are the rich family members who are not of the Baptist faith, which causes a riff in the family. Daughter Justicena (Ihler), husband Pete (Steve), and their son Damien (Vicki) drive in from Bangor, Maine in their Nova. Earl (Brett) is a little slow and lives with mom and pop. Lou (Steve) and Bridgette (Vicki) live in town.  

As with any family gathering, there are issues, and the Fertles take it to the next level. Uncle Al (Brett) still wants to be Santa, even though his wife recently died, and he can only give out one “ho”. The kids are both spoiled. Curtis exclaims "I am not even believing this is happening," as he is being forced to spend the night in the house with everyone else, and Damien zaps people with his stun gun and gets explosives as a present and blows things up. Bridgette brings some nasty corn that makes pop and Lou so sick that it looks like pops may be deathly ill. Then, Doc (Steve), who can hardly be understood with his gibberish, comes over to check out pop and Lou to give his diagnosis. Threaded in there, the Singing Fertles perform several songs that make you laugh until you have tears.  

This troupe of performers are absolute pros. I love watching each Fertle installment, and this cracked up the whole audience the entire time. The way Steve, Vicki and Brett transform so quickly from each character is so amazing. They change their facial expressions, their speech patterns, their body language, everything in mere seconds where it looks like those characters could possibly be played by someone else. It’s pure theatrical magic that will keep you laughing the whole time.  

Then, there is their music abilities. With Steve on the guitar, Vicki on drums and Brett on stand-up bass, they play as well as any other band you will hear in Downtown North Little Rock. In fact, watching Steve play his multiple instruments while singing his silly songs will really blow you away. He has great rhythmic ability, and I could listen to them play and sing all night. 

Speaking of....Coming up New Year’s Eve, Join the Main Thing as they party the year away. The doors will open at 8 p.m. on Dec. 31st, for a full night of comedy, fun, food and live music. A catered meal will be served at intermission during A FERTLE HOLIDAY, then just before midnight your complimentary champagne will be served as they ring in 2024. After toasting the New Year, THE MAIN THING will play live rock'n'roll and turn their theatre into a dance floor. Seating is assigned for this special event, so make your reservations now! 

Bring your appetite, because this family run venue serves drinks and food. They have chicken salad boxes, turkey boxes, and other snacks. They also have a large selection of craft beers, custom cocktails and wine. I had a very tasty Mango Daquiri along with the yummy chicken salad. It is my favorite thing to eat there. They also have dessert options that I have yet to try.  

When The Main Thing are not on stage, there are various other programs to entertain you. Every Tuesday night, there is Open Stand Up Comedy. On Wednesdays, The Joint Venture does Improv Comedy, which according to Brett, is similar to Second City in Chicago, or Whose Line Is It Anyway. They also have a world class music series, and various storytelling shows and burlesques. Basically.....something for everyone.    

Coming up in 2024, The Main Thing is going to take a break from the Fertle family and focus on other sketch comedy shows: UNCLE DAN’S SIX-LEGGED COMEDY SHOW, WIZARDS OF ODD, AND ELECTILE DISFUNCTION, which will be just in time for the 2024 elections. Steve has assured us that every party will be lampooned. No one is safe!   

For more information about upcoming events or to purchase tickets early for the NYE show-and you should, visit their website at https://www.thejointargenta.com. 

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