THEATRE + COMEDY

The Improv Comedy Showcase and Restaurant presents Lavell Crawford.

Funnyman Lavell Crawford is quickly climbing the comedic ranks and becoming one rising comedy star to watch. From his numerous television appearances and on stage performances, audiences are becoming increasingly familiar with Lavell's giant sized talent. Now, Lavell's audiences have just gotten bigger - he recently made it as the runner-up winner (and clearly audience favorite!) on NBC's hit reality series "Last Comic Standing."

Lavell has appeared at HBO's US Comedy Arts Festival (Aspen, CO), The Comedy Festival (Las Vegas, NV) and LAFFAPALOOZA, America's longest-running annual urban comedy festival. "Jamie Foxx Presents: Laffapalooza" a series of half-hour laugh-out-loud comedy specials that aired on Showtime and Comedy Central and subsequently headlined at the Montreal Just for Laughs Festival. Endeared by audiences far and wide, Lavell has built a very strong fan base playing theatres, comedy clubs and colleges across the nation. He has appeared at such comedy clubs as The Improv, The Laugh Factory, Carolines on Broadway, The Stardome and The Comedy House Theatre just to name a few.

 Lavell has also made the jump to television with comedic appearances on "NBC's Last Comic Standing", "Comic's Unleashed with Byron Allen", "Martin Lawrence Presents 1st Amendment", "Comedy Central's Premium Blend," "The Jamie Foxx Show," "Steve Harvey's Big Time," "Motown Live," "Showtime at the Apollo," "BET's ComicView" and "Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam" and has appeared in the films "Baby's Mama Drama", "Beverlyhood" and "Ghetto South Problems". On stage, he played Ben in the hit play Men Cry in the Dark based on the Michael Baisden best seller.

Lavell also recently appeared on stage with the critically acclaimed production Friends and Lovers, a stage production based on the novel by author Eric Jerome Dickey. Crawford played the scene-stealing "Bobby." The play also featured notable actors such as Miguel Nunez (Juwana Man), Leon (The Five Heartbeats), Monica Calhoun (The Best Man), Mel Jackson (Soul Food) and Maia Campbell (In The House). Crawford is one of the most popular up-and-coming comedians in the country.

Lavell is currently touring nationally and recently released his own comedy CD Takin' a Fat Break.