THEATRE + COMEDY

The Improv Comedy Showcase and Restaurant presents John Witherspoon. 

You probably remember John Witherspoon as Ice Cube’s (Craig’s) outrageously funny, dog-catching dad in New Line Cinema’s smash urban trilogy Friday, Next Friday & Friday After Next, or as “Pops” on the long-running syndicated sitcom The Wayans Brothers…or as Spoon on NBC’s The Tracy Morgan Show. One thing’s for sure… once you’ve seen Witherspoon you completely understand why he has earned the reputation as one of America’s funniest dads.

Witherspoon has brought to life some of the most hilarious, unforgettable characters ever including, David Allen Grier’s fashionably challenged, mushroom-wearing father in the romantic comedy Boomerang, and the quirky, diner-owning father “Pops” on The WB’s The Wayans Brothers. His scene-stealing roles in Boomerang, Little Nicky, House Party, Vampire in Brooklyn, and I’m Gonna Git You Sucka, made him one of the most memorable funny men in America.

You’ve seen him in everything from popular music videos alongside Jay Z and Sugar Ray---to sitcoms opposite The Wayans Brothers and Saturday Night Live’s, Tracy Morgan---to blockbuster movies alongside Eddie Murphy, Adam Sandler, Chris Tucker and Ice Cube, amongst others. Not only does Witherspoon’s work span over four decades to include blockbuster movies, hit-television shows, commercials, and top-rated music videos, but he’s coined his own catch phrases…as in…"Bang!Bang!Bang!Bang!" and "You Gotta Co-ordinate!”

You have to wonder how a comedian whose work can be traced back as far as WKRP in Cincinnati and Barnaby Jones, can still be relevant today. His roles in the Friday series, (Friday, Next Friday, Friday After Next), Soul Plane, Ladies Man, Boomerang, Vampire in Brooklyn, Little Nicky, House Party, etc. are arguably some of the most hilarious bits of comedy to date. The Orange County Register describes the comedian/actor as being in a class of his own. "Witherspoon is one of those performers who doesn't need a funny line to be funny. Just standing there in a truculent posture with a suspicious look, he is funny and enlivens every scene he's in." The Detroit-bred comic has proven that he is a Hollywood mainstay and continues to land coveted spots in some of America’s favorite movies and television shows.

John Witherspoon has found his niche and has become a regular scene-stealer. What is so captivating about Witherspoon is his ability to make the audience care about his characters and hang on to his every word.

Witherspoon has starred in such movies like "Little Nicky," "Friday," "Next Friday," "The Ladies Man," and "Booomerang." He has made over a dozen appearances on "The David Letterman Show," and he played the character "Pops" on WB's the "Wayans Brothers." Witherspoon is a talented comedian and remarkable actor and his characters are some of the funniest people ever invented.