Comedian to perform at Molly's Dec. 30

• Cathy Ladman

Cathy Ladman

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PLUM CITY – Cathy Ladman caught the stand-up comedian bug at an early age.

The New York City native was interested at the profession at age eight, when she heard the comedy album titled “(Mike) Nichols and (Elaine) May Examine Doctors”.

“When we use to say prayers, I always included a selection from the album,” she said.

That interest turned into “something I always wanted to do” and by age 13, she knew her calling.

“At that age, I made a conscious decision to go into comedy,” she said.

Ladman made it in the stand-up world in 1981 and has been in the entertainment world ever since. On Dec. 30, she returns to her stand-up roots with a performance at Molly’s On Main in Plum City. Showtime begins at 8:15 p.m.

Ladman has performed on “The Tonight Show” nine times – five when Johnny Carson was the host and four with current host Jay Leno.

“It is so different doing television than stand-up,” she explained. “(TV) audience wants you to do well and you need to trust that. Therefore, you need a strong opening joke, and to trust your material.”

While in stand-up, Ladman, a past recipient of the American Comedy Award for Best Female Stand-Up Comic, says it better to have no serving being done during the performance, the audience facing forward, and if some unforeseen circumstance happens, the comedian has to address it.

“You can’t understate the obvious with a live audience in a live room,” she continues. “If a joke bombs, it is best to move on.”

Ladman shared a couple of moments of a live audience that stood out over the years, with the best one being a couple making out right in front of her as she was performing.

Besides her stand-up gigs, Ladman has also appeared in movies such as “Charlie Wilson’s War”, “The Aristocrats” and “White Oleander”. Television performances include “Mad Men”, “Everybody Loves Raymond” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm”.

“Peter Boyle was the nicest man and Doris Roberts was so sweet,” Ladman recalled.

She says writing takes up a lot of her time now. Past credits include “The Kings of Queens”, “Caroline in the City” and “Roseanne”.

Ladman is in the Midwest this time of the year, visiting family as her in-laws live in Minneapolis. She also has a performance booked the following night in New Hope, Minnesota.

“I still have a lot of fun on stage,” she says.

Tickets are $35, which includes a dinner, beginning at 7 p.m. For more information, call (715) 647-2172 or visit www.mollysplumcity.com. Reservations are required.

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