Mummersons

Jon Mumma is a great guy. He is genuine with people, down to earth, real in every sense, extremely humble and a lot of fun to hang out with. He is a comic that I try to mirror on a regular basis. He works hard on his comedy, constantly evolving older jokes and putting newer ones out as often as he can. He critiques himself honestly after each set and keeps his character straight when it comes to performing standup and being around other comedians. Jon is REAL when it comes to being around comedians, something you don't see so often. Jon gives you exactly what he is and thats what I love. I love that his attitude stays the same on stage. Jon won't get on stage and change any of his material or stage presence just to suit a crowd. Jon won't get on a microphone and say the jokes he thinks the audience wants to hear. He gives them what HE WANTS to give them and he shows them why they should like it and they do. Whether he is at the Factory (jon crushed as a feature at the factory last weekend) or performing in DC at a regular weekday open mic, he does what he enjoys doing. He has fun. Something that I personally think is missing from so many performers in the DC area. Not all of them but a lot of them. You can see the ones that are more worried about the business side of their career than the actual performance art side and it shows heavily. Comics that don't really evolve their set and work on their presence as a presenter because they are more concerned with their headshots or selling cds or selling dvds or making sure every club has heard of them. Jon has let his set evolve because he hasn't forgotten why he started doing standup comedy. He started because he is a naturally funny person and he wants to share with others his talent to create laughter. Bottom Line. For these reasons I was honored to have a beer with my very good friend and celebrate his 1st place finish in the DC Improv Showcase Finals last Tuesday night. Jon went on stage and proved to himself that he is exactly where he needs to be in his performance. That is confidence noone can provide, something you have to find on your own. It was a good feeling to see a good friend achieve something that will without a doubt boost his confidence which will boost the amount of fun he has on stage which will boost his levels of creativity. I know Jon will have more confidence on stage now to take even bigger risks with his presence, material, and overall ideas about what it means to be a great performer. That is entertaining to watch. I made Jon pay for the beers.