Popular Comedian, Actor and Author Lewis Black Brings Absurd Observations About Life to Hard Rock Live

Lewis Black, popular comedian, actor and author will bring his absurd observations about life to Hard Rock Live at the Seminole

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Thursday, March 25 at 8 p.m. Tickets go on sale Friday, January 15 at noon.

Lewis Black is one of the most prolific and popular performers working today. He executes a brilliant trifecta as stand-up comedian, actor and author. He performs over 200 nights a year to sold-out audiences throughout Europe, New Zealand, Canada and The United States and is one of few performers to sell out multiple, renowned theatres, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Brooks Atkinson Theatre, New York City Center and the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. In August 2007, he was the first stand-up comedian to ever perform in concert at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.

Lewis’ live performances provide a cathartic release of anger and disillusionment for his audience. Lewis yells so they don’t have to. A passionate performer who is more pissed-off optimist than mean-spirited curmudgeon. Lewis is the rare comic who can cause an audience to laugh themselves into incontinence while making compelling points about the absurdity of our world.

Lewis was born in Washington D.C. and raised in Silver Spring, Maryland. Colicky as a baby, it seems he was destined to be angry and easily irritated. His mother, a teacher, and his father, a mechanical engineer, instilled in both Lewis and his younger brother Ron the importance of education and the necessity to question authority; lessons which have influenced Lewis throughout his private and professional life. When Lewis was 12, his father took him to his first play and he quickly fell in love with the theater. This ultimately led Lewis to pursue a career in drama. Degrees followed from the University of North Carolina and Yale Drama School, with a stint in Colorado owning a theater with a group of friends in the interim. During his tenure at UNC, Lewis first ventured into stand-up, performing at Cat’s Cradle in Chapel Hill.

Lewis eventually settled in New York City and became the playwright-in-residence at the West Bank Café’s Downstairs Theater Bar. Lewis oversaw the development of more than 1,000 plays, including works by West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin, American Beauty writer Alan Ball as well as his own original works. In addition to overseeing the works on stage, Lewis emceed every show. As the West Bank grew, so did Lewis’ skill as a stand-up and eventually, the fulfillment of performing stand-up outweighed that of working in the theater. Having found his public voice, Lewis left the West Bank in the late 80s to pursue stand-up full time.

In 1996, he was tapped to for Comedy Central’s The Daily Show. The segment, a three-minute rant about whatever was bothering him at the moment, evolved into Back in Black. It became one of the most popular and longest running segments on the show and also created a long and successful relationship with the network. Since then, Lewis has taped four specials for the Comedy Central Presents series, co-created Last Laugh with Lewis Black, presides over Lewis’ Black’s the Root of All Evil, and continues to perform Back in Black on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. His popular appearances on Comedy Central helped to win him Best Male Stand-Up at the American Comedy Awards in 2001.

Black has released several comedy CDs including The White Album (2000) and in 2007 won the Grammy for Best Comedy Album for The Carnegie Hall Performance. He has also filmed two HBO specials, Black On Broadway and Red, White and Screwed. The latter was nominated for an Emmy in 2007. He had a regular feature for two seasons on Inside the NFL and in 2006 was honored to be asked to participate in Comic Relief.

A much sought after guest for several late-night television shows, he’s been seen on Larry King Live, is a frequent guest on Late Night with Conan O’Brien and has appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman. He’s had numerous, memorable appearances on CNN and is particularly happy to have contributed to MSNBC’s Countdown with Keith Olbermann.

As an author, Lewis has written two best-selling books, Nothing’s Sacred (Simon and Schuster, 2005) and Me of Little Faith (Riverhead Books, 2008). Both garnered critical praise as well commercial success and spent numerous weeks on the New York Times best-seller list.

As a playwright, Lewis has penned over 40 plays, many of which have been produced around the country. The Deal, a dark comedy about business, was made into a short film in 1998 and picked up by the Sundance Channel. In 2005, Garry Marshall’s Falcon Theatre in Los Angeles produced One Slight Hitch, a play that was later seen in 2006 at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center’s Patel Conservatory.

In 2006, Black co-starred with Robin Williams in Man of the Year, appeared as “the fake dean of a fake college” in Accepted and as a harried airport manager in Unaccompanied Minors. He also lent his voice to the role of “Jimmy” in Bob Sagat’s parody, Farce of the Penguins.

In addition to his professional pursuits, Black is dedicated to a number of charitable organizations including the 52nd Street Project, the Rusty Magee Clinic for Families and Health, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Autism Speaks and was recently honored by The Brady Center for his commitment to ending gun violence. In 2000, the Ron Black Memorial Scholarship Fund was created in memory of his late brother. He’s a strong supporter of the Williamstown Theatre Festival and established the William Foeller Fellowship, having taught and performed at the festival for more than a decade. Lewis also supports our military personnel and recently became involved with the USO. He toured several Middle East and European military bases with Robin Williams, Lance Armstrong, Kid Rock and Miss America Rachel Smith in December 2007.

Tickets cost $100, $80, $60 & $40*; all seats are reserved and available at the Hard Rock Live Box Office, open Monday – Saturday from noon to 7pm and on Sunday – only open on event days at noon. Tickets also are available at all Ticketmaster outlets online at www.ticketmaster.com or charge by phone: 1-800-745-3000. Doors open one-hour prior to show start time. *Additional fees may apply.

About Hard Rock Live

Hard Rock Live, a spectacular state-of-the-art facility has quickly emerged as the entertainment capital of South Florida. Attracting music, comedy and sports fans, this 5,500-seat indoor arena further expands the ultimate entertainment experience at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. For more information please visit www.hardrocklivehollywoodfl.com.

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