Laura Merli’s Debut Special Belly Slappin’ Fun Focuses on the Funny

“Does anyone just tell jokes anymore?” my father-in-law implored at the dinner table last weekend. And while he’s hardly the first to make this complaint, I get where he’s coming from. So many comedians are touted as storytellers and truth sharers these days that we sometimes lose sight of what their job is: to make us nearly piss ourselves laughing. While her awkward, irreverent comedy may not be tailored to straight-laced boomers like my beloved father-in-law, stand-up Laura Merli proves with her debut half-hour Belly Slappin’ Fun that yes, there are still comics who focus on delivering consistent, laugh-out-loud punchlines. 

Merli’s style—one-liners stacked on top of each other that are sometimes interconnected but just as often not—shares comedy DNA with her idols Mitch Hedberg and Maria Bamford. The short, punchy jokes are there, along with the jarring transitions, like when she pivots from talking about UTIs to her tamagotchis. There’s also a relatable social unease that propels her set forward. This is aided by Flop House Comedy Club’s layout; it’s a small venue, with the audience claustrophobically close to the stage. Merli’s energy comes across as more frantic than it might in a larger space, and the audience gets to stew in any discomfort until they start laughing. 

Between her puns and jokes flourished with silly pronunciations, Merli emits a flat, almost humorless chuckle that instantly endears her to the viewer. Her laugh is so idiosyncratic that it makes whatever bit she just did even funnier. Her voice is likewise a bit monotone, which contrasts beautifully with her wild, off-the-wall anecdotes. Merli is a self-confessed awkward person, and she uses any stiltedness to her advantage while performing.