FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM DECEMBER 16, 2021 • THE QUEENS COURIER 45
buzz
Comedian Steve Hofstetter bringing his comedy
special to Briarwood elementary school on Dec. 18
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Steve Hofstetter, a Queens native and
comedian, is returning to his childhood
hometown of Briarwood on Saturday,
Dec. 18, to fi lm his new comedy special,
“Th e Recipe.”
Hofstetter will be performing two
shows at his former elementary school,
P.S. 117, at 85-15 143rd St., where he
attended until the age of 12. Th e shows
will take place at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
and tickets are available to purchase at
stevehofstetter.com.
“Th e Recipe” is a heartbreaking and
hilarious set that explores Hofstetter
growing up in a mixed family, setting out
on his own, achieving his dream and the
grief surrounding the loss of his father.
“A lot of it is about gallows humor and
being able to last through pain, which is
a subject I think a lot of people can relate
to these days,” Hofstetter said. “Th e special
is diff erent from what I’ve done in
the past, and from what a lot of comedians
do. It’s got a beginning, middle and
end, and is written so people can
watch it multiple times and is
more like a movie than a
traditional standup set.”
Hofstetter decided
to fi lm his show
at P.S. 117, since
it was the fi rst
stage where he
was in his fi rst
play 35 years
ago, he said.
Since the
themes of
the special
involve
growth and
planning,
Hofstetter
thought it
would be
nice to go
back to the
beginning at
his elementary
school.
Th e show
will double
as a fundraiser
for the school
and the Teachers
DonorsChoose
program, a U.S.-
based nonprofit
organization that
allows individuals to
donate directly to public
school classroom projects.
“Instead of just buying
tickets, someone can
donate to any of the Teachers
DonorsChoose programs
and be able to redeem
that donation for a ticket,”
Hofstetter said.
“Not only does it raise
money for the teachers
and their projects,
but it also
allows people who
couldn’t aff ord a
ticket to come
and see the
show. A lot of
people had a
rough year and
a half, and it
allows us to raise
money for the
right people and
help those who
need it.”
According to
Hofstetter, he’s
excited to be
back on the
road
aft er doing online shows
during lockdown
amid the COVID-19
pandemic.
“During the
pandemic, I felt
like there was
a piece of me
missing. I was
luckier than
others — I had
my health and
I wasn’t worried
about paying
rent. I was
OK, but I still
didn’t feel like
me. Getting back
out there as a performer
makes me
feel whole again,”
Hofstetter said. “I’m
extremely excited to be
able to perform on a stage
that means something to
me and have my family,
friends and fans
there.”
Hofstetter says his goal is to move people
and to show them that laughing and
crying are next to each other on the
wheel.
“I’ve been workshopping this show
since I got back on the road in May and
I’ve had people come to multiple shows
— one person came to six shows. It’s
because the show is written in a way
that you can watch it multiple times,”
Hofstetter said.
Hofsetter gained a reputation for himself
when he began posting videos from
his stand-up routines of his interactions
with audience members on YouTube and
has since racked up 185 million views and
over 600K subscribers on the platform.
“I try to be a social critic. Th ere’s a
great quote from Bill Hicks who’s my
favorite comedian of all time, ‘Th e comic
is the one who says wait a minute as the
consensus forms,’ and that’s what I try to
do,” Hofstetter said. “My goal as a comic
is to be what Bill Hicks was if he didn’t
hate his audience.”
His book, “Ginger Kid,” which was
released in 2018, debuted at No. 1 in its
category on Amazon and was a Top Five
Pick. Th
roughout his career, Hofstetter has
used his own blend of satirical social
commentary, tackling everything
from American politics to foreign
aff airs to pop culture and
current events. Hofstetter was
also the host and executive
producer of season one
of “Laughs” (FOX) and
he has made appearances
on various shows on
ESPN, VH1, ABC, CBS,
Showtime and more,
including late night
television.
Hofstetter has been
in four fi lms, and
he has had two
top 20 comedy
albums (including
one that
hit No. 1 on
iTunes comedy
charts). He
is a former
columnist
for Sports
Illustrated
and the
NHL, and
has also written
for Maxim
and Th e New
York Times,
among others.
Photo by Nick Larsen
Comedian Steve Hofstetter
/stevehofstetter.com
/WWW.QNS.COM
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