Boston-based comedian Orlando Baxter is set to record his first album, Something Big with Orlando Baxter, this Thursday, November 10 at the Rockwell in Somerville.
A former school teacher from Worcester, Baxter has been performing stand-up in Boston and beyond since exploding onto the scene in 2005. Quickly establishing himself as one of Boston’s hottest young comics, Baxter’s unique perspective and charisma has made him a fan-favorite for years.
“For those attending: I love you ❤️ and I appreciate you for supporting this major event in my comedy career,” Baxter writes online. “For those unsure about attending: I love you ❤️ too but STOP BULL ???????????? and come out and support your boy from #Worcester who just did #Conan #YOLO For those not attending: You’re dead to me! Just kidding I love you ❤️ too just not as much as everyone else attending.”
Baxter has landed in the finals of several festivals and contests, including the Boston Comedy Festival, the New York Comedy Contest, the Montreaux Comedy Festival in Switzerland, and NBC’s Stand Up for Diversity. Earlier this year, Baxter debut his new show, Suspension, Detentions and Summer Vacations at the prestigious Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland. This year also featured Baxter’s first appearance on Conan, which was well-received by both hometown fans and comedy fans nationwide.
“It was hard to scale back to five minutes,” Baxter tells the Worcester Telegram, having mainly up until now performed 45 minute shows. “I had to figure out how to do everything I want to do in that five minutes. Usually, when you’re in a comedy club, there are comedians on before you to warm you up, but here, you’re just on. So it’s like, ‘Hey! You better swim!’”
Hosted by Nick Chambers and Al Park, tickets for Something Big with Orlando Baxter are $15 and can be purchased at the door. The Rockwell (formerly the Davis Square Theatre) is located at 255 Elm St. in Somerville. After Thursday’s taping, Baxter hits the Wilbur Theatre on Saturday; check the full list of his upcoming appearances here.