Irish American stand up Colin Quinn's one man show will take New York by storm

Quinn talks about his Brooklyn background and his fierce Celtic pride

Irish American comedian Colin Quinn is a stand up’s stand up. This summer the writer and actor will take to the stage to star in his own one-man show, "Colin Quinn Long Story Short", directed by Jerry Seinfeld. Along the way he’ll also appear in the Adam Sandler comedy "Grown Ups".
 
Colin Quinn made his name when he landed a spot on Saturday Night Live, where he entertained audiences for five seasons with unforgettable characters and brilliantly funny segments like “Colin Quinn Explains the New York Times,” before stepping in as anchor for SNL’s popular “Weekend Update.”

But Quinn first got his start at the Irish Arts Center in the early 1990s with his play "The Irish Wake", a side-splitter that often blurred the line between theater and standup. It was an instant success and is still talked about with reverence in theater and comedy circles.

This month Quinn, 49, is back onstage again in "Colin Quinn Long Story Short", produced and directed by none other than Jerry Seinfeld.  It’s a measure of Quinn’s talent that Seinfeld signed up to helm the project sight unseen, because Quinn’s name on the first page was all it took.  Talk about a vote of confidence.

So how does he do it? How does an Irish American boy from a tough neighborhood in Brooklyn convince the bigwigs he’s got the goods?

“I’m only a comedian because of the Irish,” Quinn tells the Irish Voice during a recent interview.

“Growing up I watched my uncles and aunts listening to that first album of George Carlin’s called Class Clown at parties. I loved it, but I didn’t appreciate it as much as people who grew up in his era did. I think the Irish thing is that I love language and I love the sacred and the profane, which is how Irish people speak.”

Quinn’s first play about growing up Irish American was performed at the Irish Arts Center in 1994.

“It was about all the people on my block growing up, a couple of whom were from Ireland. In the beginning it was called "Sanctifying Grace" but it ended up being called "The Irish Wake",” he recalls.

“I got wise. I finally realized who else but the Irish would go to see a play called "Sanctifying Grace"?”

Quinn was born and raised in Brooklyn, and Irish America runs in his veins. Few people know the city and its characters like him.
“Well actually, I’m from Park Slope. We lost all our street credibility 15 to 20 years ago,” he says.

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