Las Vegas Weekly

April 29, 2011 · 12:02 PM

Comedian Steve Byrne: From phone duty and sweeping floors to center stage

By Nikki Villoria

Steve Byrne.

By Nikki Villoria

The glitz and glam, neon lights, endless buffet lines, 24-hour parties and taking center stage may be the favorite things about Las Vegas for some, but for comedian Steve Byrne, the real enjoyment of Sin City comes from something a little different:

“Seeing all the gorgeous, obese, corn-fed Midwestern couples who roll around at a snail’s pace along the Strip and drink out of plastic palm trees.”

Making his first appearance at The Improv at Harrah’s, Byrne is center stage through Sunday to deliver his stand-up. “I am very excited to be playing at one of the more youth-driven and smoke-free casinos on the Strip,” Byrne said.

For six back-to-back days, Byrne is on The Improv stage offering audiences performances full of laughs and awkward moments.

“Stand-up -- it’s what I am used to and what I am comfortable with. I do moonlight as a male exotic dancer with the troupe Sparkle Motion, and that is very exciting, as well,” Byrne said.

Byrne’s entrance into the world of comedy was a stream of real-life progression, from sweeping floors and answering the phone at a New York comedy club to trying out stand-up himself, then falling in love with the career and continuing with it.

This might sound like the reality of this comic’s progress, but Byrne confesses the real truth behind his entrance into comedy.

“I was adopted by Angelina Jolie when I was a Korean orphan at age 4, and she forced me into it by age 8 to help pay the bills. She took off in movies, married Brad Pitt, and now I am at The Improv Wednesday through Sunday. I miss my mommy.”

Byrne is the featured comedian, with supporting acts Colin Jost and Brandon Hahn.

“I have done Brandon’s radio show when I am in Vegas. He’s a great comic and a really awesome DJ on KOMP. Colin Jost is a comic I met in New York City. When he’s not doing stand-up, he writes for Saturday Night Live. He’s an awesome comic, and I know the rest of the country will know who he is in a few more years.”

Byrne continues his stand-up touring the country, with stops in Connecticut, California, Illinois and Ohio. Byrne says the next thing on his Vegas to-do list this trip is “to be cast in Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew by Sunday.”

Nikki Villoria is a contributing writer and photographer.

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